Competing car manufacturers Honda and Kia are no strangers to Super Bowl advertising, as they are often some of the biggest brands in the game. But as car commercials can be especially ignorable, standing out in the Super Bowl ad rankings is harder than ever. This year, Honda and Kia are relying heavily on the power of celebrity appearances to capture audience attention and promote their new models.
To advertise the 2017 Niro hybrid, Kia’s commercial features Melissa McCarthy as she fails in multiple endeavors to save the planet on her own, then realizes that driving the hybrid car is much easier. The company released several teasers, but the brand only started to gain attention after it released its full ad on February 1. Since the release, there has been a high volume of conversation surrounding the ad.
While Kia’s celebrity feature has helped the brand gain visibility, Honda took the power of celebrities to the next level this year. Honda’s commercial creates “living” yearbook photos of several stars including Tina Fey, Missy Elliot, Magic Johnson, Viola Davis and more, with an inspiring message to follow your dreams. There has been a high volume of conversation since the ad’s release on February 2, which has been largely stimulated by the use of #PowerofDreams as well as #HondaPartner, included in tweets from the involved celebrities themselves. The stars’ direct involvement in ad promotion led to higher volume and more positive sentiment than Kia’s eco-friendly commercial.
