Robo Dog, the wide-eyed, adorable, electronic-charged, robotic pup longingly stares outside the showroom window of an innocuous electronics store.  As the world passes by in front of Robo Dog, loneliness ensues as Robo Dog sees a real dog joyfully play with its owner. Suddenly, Robo Dog’s bright eyes widen and tail wags at the sight of something familiar. And in that one electrified moment, Robo Dog charges out of the store in heart-pumping pursuit of what could possibly be this endearing pup’s forever home. 

Created by David&Goliath, this aspirational 60-second Super Bowl spot–directed by Noam Murro of Biscuit Filmworks–follows Robo Dog as it escapes the stark retail store and begins an epic chase around a buzzing city in search of the all-electric Kia EV6 and its owner. From crowded streets to a glass elevator to roof tops, Robo Dog relentlessly tracks the elusive EV6 as Bonnie Tyler’s iconic “Total Eclipse of the Heart” swells in the background, providing the perfect union of emotion and humor. You can’t help but root for this lovable pup as it makes a leap of faith toward the EV6 when – the battery drains and Robo Dog shuts down. Thanks to the  innovative onboard charger of the EV6, the owner is able to quickly power up the pup and as they lock eyes, they fall for each other, and drive off to live a fully charged life. 

“When I think about what it means to live a fully charged life, it’s about not only doing your part to protect the environment by owning an electric vehicle, it also means to go all in with the journey,” said David Angelo, founder and creative chairman, David&Goliath. “Robo Dog is the personification of that charge within us all, one that inspires us to dream big and never settle. It’s the truth behind this ad for Super Bowl and the truth of Kia’s brand.”

The spot is part of an integrated campaign that includes a partnership between Kia and the Petfinder Foundation designed to shine a spotlight on shelter animals seeking adoption. It’s the latest initiative under Kia’s celebrated Accelerate The Good Program, and includes the brand’s first-ever immersive augmented reality experience to raise awareness and help shelter animals find their forever homes.

Credits

Client Kia Agency David&Goliath David Angelo, founder & creative chairman; Yumi Prentice, president; Laura Forman, chief strategy officer; Ben Purcell, chief creative officer; Frauke Tiemann, executive creative director/art director; Mark Koelfgen, executive creative director/copywriter; Mark Monteiro, executive creative director; Courtney Pulver, group creative director/copywriter; Robert Casillas, group creative director/ art director; Bennett Austin, creative director/art director; Nick Micale, creative director/copywriter; Paul Albanese, managing director, broadcast production; Peter Bassett, managing director, integrated production & technology services; Christopher Coleman, Juliet Diamond, executive producers; Allan de Leon, digital executive producer; Allison Minton, digital producer; Abigail Grinberg, associate digital producer; Meagan Steinkamp, sr. digital designer; Evon Forbes, digital designer; Bruno Cunha, group strategy director; Jasmine Spraglin, sr. creatist; Beka Tesfaye, strategist. Cara Nieto, executive art producer. Production Biscuit Filmworks Noam Murro, director; Shawn Lacy, partner/managing director; Andrew Travelstead, exec producer; Jason Groves, producer; Sean Moody, head of production; Eric Schmidt, DP; Brock Houghton, production designer. VFX Parliament, Los Angeles (Toolbox: Flame, Nuke, Maya).  Augmented Reality 14Four Jeff Oswalt, president; Avery McKee, producer; Brandon DeLauney, creative director; Madison Merica, lead designer; Eric Narad, director of 3D animation; Alex Michaluk, sr. front end developer/AR lead; Jared Darr, Coby Forrester, front end developers; Steve Wanless, technical strategy director. Augmented Reality SDK 8th Wall Editorial Spinach Damion Clayton, editor (courtesy of RPS); Adam Bright, managing director; Jonathan Carpio, exec producer; Nicole Haws, producer; Michael Shugarman, assistant editor (courtesy of RPS). Color Company 3 Jill Bogdanowicz, colorist; Matt Moran, color producer; Ashley McKim, exec producer Audio Margarita Mix, Santa Monica Nathan Dubin, audio mixer/sound designer; Whitney Morris, Paula Arnett, exec producers; Brian Frank, operations manager; Sean Melia, Mike Murzyn, Zach Olson, assistant engineers. Licensed Music “Total Eclipse of the Heart” Jim Steinman, writer; Edward B. Marks Music Company (BMI), Lost Boys Music (BMI), publishers; Round Hill Carlin, LLC, licensor; Bonnie Tyler, performer; courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment. Model Citizen Creative Rory Doggett, music editor/creative director.

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