Kia Taps Celebs for Super Bowl Spot Based on Their Social Graphs

Securing the services of a supermodel to wear minimal clothing is standard for a Super Bowl advertiser, but hiring her based on her social-media credentials is a sign of the times.

To help make its spot go viral, Kia Motors chose Adriana Lima, Motley Crue and MMA fighter Chuck Liddell to appear in its ad largely on the basis of their social graphs and the perceived power of their fan bases. In the ad, the Sandman pours too much sand in the eyes of a sleeping man and makes his dream world a manifestation of his deepest desires to drive around a raceway and be cheered on by legions by bikini-clad women.

“This year we were constantly trying to figure out how to build advocates for our spot before it launched on Sunday, and we recognized social media as growing by leaps and bounds,” said Michael Sprague, Kia Motors Corp.’s VP-marketing and communications. “What better way than to tap into a celebrity’s fan base?”

Watch the Kia Super Bowl XLVI Ad “A Dream Car – For Real Life”.