What's That Song From Kia's 'Sweet Summer Sales Event' Commercial?

Posted on Aug 27th 2010 12:30PM by Pat Pemberton
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'So Bright,' Vokab Kompany

They didn't get the hamsters. But Vokab Kompany are more than happy to be on Kia's 'Sweet Summer Sales Event' commercial -- and to get the mass exposure to Kia's Generation Y target audience.

Proof that it helps to have connections, Vokab, a hip-hop group based in San Diego, pitched previously recorded music to a friend at the L.A.-based David&Goliath ad agency, which has handled the Kia account for a decade. The band was unknown, with no Wikipedia entry, no All Music Guide page and no newspaper features. (Even today, some of Vokab's press quotes come from little-known blogs.) Still, David&Goliath considered their dance-friendly music for its commercial 'A New Way to Roll,' which introduced the world to hip-hop-lovin' hamsters.

Ultimately, the company passed on Vokab Kompany for that ad, which wound up going viral on the Internet and dramatically helping Kia sales. Yet, even as the 'Hamster' sequels were being made, the agency kept Vokab in mind. And when it came up with a summer-themed spot -- sans rodents -- it called on the group to create an original tune for the soundtrack.

Specifically, the ad agency wanted Vokab to create a song that sounded as fun as catching an ice cream truck on a hot summer day. Appropriately, 'So Bright,' written by band members Rob Hurt and Matthew Burke, begins with what sounds like an ice cream truck. As that plays over the commercial, people doing everyday summer things -- like watering the lawn and swimming -- are so excited to see the truck, they stop what they're doing and sprint toward it. But what the viewer thinks is an ice cream truck turns out to be a semi carrying a load of new Kias.

"The title and song itself was fun and a fairly easy process," Hurt tells Spinner. "The song was a reflection of summer, the beat spoke bright and so did the lyrics that followed. It was actually somewhat easy to write for us."

While it was written specifically for Kia, the lyrics never mention cars.

Or hamsters.

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