Beck 1

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 vivid and upbeat ads that are 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 one of the famous hamsters steps out to start strumming along

with him. This hamster is 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. This a hot topic in todays society.

The characters of the commercial paint a picture of diversity 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
 Beck 2

musicians harmonizing in song, but then 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 incidents 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 (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

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
 Beck 3

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. Colin Jeffery says, 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). 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, people 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 viewers like, who viewers are,

or what viewers do, where the viewer comes from means nothing at the end of the day. Every

person is only a human who shares 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 that a viewer can carry.

 Beck 4

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 Accessed 22 April 2017.

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 Accessed 22 April 2017.