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Lauren Beck

Professor Moore

English 1301

25 April 2017

The World Needs More Soul

The Kia Motors America automobile manufacturer is well known for its Kia Soul

hamster commercials. They always display such a vivid and upbeat ad that is sure to capture the

viewers attention, and their 2016 #ShareSomeSoul commercial is no exception. Although, it

may have more to represent than just the Kia Soul itself. The commercial starts off as a lone,

Nathaniel Radcliff, sitting on a tree stump strumming a tune on an acoustic guitar. Soon, the

familiar Kia Soul drives up and out steps one of the famous hamsters strumming along with him,

but playing a banjo. Shortly thereafter, the passenger hamster jumps out to join in the tunes. This

hamster, however, is a bit more eccentric, and plays the electric guitar with a little twist on their

music. The three are then quickly accompanied by numerous musicians, both hamsters and

humans, each playing their own instruments. While the commercial itself has little to do with the

Kia Soul physically, the viewer may notice each instrument introduced is unique to its character

and originates from a different ethnicity. The abundance of musical instruments played by

characters of different ethnicities in the Kia Soul commercial charms the viewer by displaying a

welcoming of diversity; A very hot topic in todays society.

The picture of diversity is painted in the viewers head from start to finish. Beginning

with the introduction of the commercial, a new musical instrument is each introduced with its

character. First the acoustic guitar, then the banjo, electric guitar, trombone, marching drums, and

so on. The tunes incipiently are a small casual group of musicians harmonizing in song, but then
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quickly turn into a sundry shindig with natives from all backgrounds joining in with their own

instruments. Each piece represents a different ethnicity while having the character, being a

human or hamster, dressed according to that ethnicity. The differences among the crowd reaches

from the everyday guitars, ukuleles, brass, and woodwinds, all the way to sitars, bagpipes, and

various forms of percussion such as African Drums. The vibe from all of the various characters

celebrating harmoniously embraces the idea of heterogeneity and in a sense, brings the viewers

together. This is far different than most instigations today that drive apart the people of society.

Diversity is a major topic in todays world. With all the talk on acceptance and roles

different ethnics play in our nation, Kia took the opportunity to jump right in the conversation

and express their vision. As Michael Sprague, chief operating officer and EVP of Kia Motors

America said, "The hamsters have always been plugged-in to what is going on in the world

around us, and in the 'The World Needs More Soul' campaign they are back to share their

infectious spirit of optimism and celebrate things that bring people together like music and

dance. With each Soul execution, we strive to bring a fresh musical perspective and 'Soul Jam'

blends a variety of styles and cultures with a highly recognizable piece of music to create

something fun and different that stands out from the crowd, just like the Soul." (Kia Motor

Trends). By allowing different articles of music to show throughout the commercial, such as the

Indian Sitar, Kia promotes the favorability of diversity among its viewers. This message is

brought on by such a lively, high spirited air that is sure to put a smile on anyones face and leave

a great impression of pure bliss.

Music is something every person can relate to. Dating back to even war times, people

used music as a declaration of their feelings on the current world issues. It has always had a great

influence on the public, both good and bad. "Music is the one true universal language. It
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transcends borders and boundaries, connecting people on an emotional level because it's

something we can all understand, feel and appreciate. In this case, the hamsters use the power of

music to unite people from around the world." said by Colin Jeffery, chief creative officer of

David & Goliath (Kia Motor Trends). Music is a way to communicate feelings, thoughts, and

even to address the current arguments around the world. Which is exactly what Kia

accomplished with their 2016 #ShareSomeSoul commercial.

The crowd that this Kia Soul commercial seems to be drawing in shares a large variety of

unique individuals. In the crowd, are different people with each a different instrument to join in

to the musical tunes and festivity. Each and every instrument represents the different cultures and

ethnicities among people, but that even though they all play different instruments, they can still

come together to share some soul. The message that Kias #ShareSomeSoul represents is the

welcoming of people who are different from one another. It is not only expressed through the use

of different cultural instruments, but is also intensified by the utmost exhilarating celebration that

is shared by all of the city-dwellers. The overall message from Kia to its viewers is that even

though diversity is a very prominent issue in todays world, we can overcome it with the simplest

things, like music. At the end of the commercial, Kia Soul sends a message saying, "The world

needs more Soul.". This message can be interpreted to the viewer that no matter what you like,

who you are, or what you do, where you come from means nothing at the end of the day. We are

all people who share joy in the simplest forms, and let this Kia Soul #ShareSomeSoul

commercial be a reminder that unification of all can bring true happiness regardless of the

qualities you carry.

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Works Cited

Castillo, Michelle. Study Americans want more diversity in ads. CNBC Media, 7 March

2016, http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/07/study-americans-want-more-diversity-in-ads.html

Kia Motor Trends. Kia Motors' Music-Loving Hamsters Return To Share The Unifying Power

Of Music In New Ad Campaign For The Soul Urban Passenger Vehicle. PR Newswire, 26 May

2016, http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kia-motors-music-loving-hamsters-return-to-

share-the-unifying-power-of-music-in-new-ad-campaign-for-the-soul-urban-passenger-vehicle-

300275351.html