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Advertisement Evaluation:
Kia vs. Volkswagen
Brittany Smyth and Rebecca Lima

Mercyhurst University
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Application

According to Clow and Baak there are two different types of message themes right and

left brain. Right brain oriented themes appeal to consumers through emotion and creativity where

left brain oriented themes appeal to logic (Clow & Baack, 2014, p. 135). The Volkswagen

“Wings” commercial it is clear example of a right brain advertisement. The overall feel of the

commercial involves emotion, abstract feelings and images. This ad does not display much left

brain or logical appeals but instead focuses on humor, music, fantasy and creativity. The

advertisement is also emotional bringing intense feelings of nostalgia (Volkswagen of America,

Inc., 2014). The ads main statement “what if I told you that every time a Volkswagen hits

100,000 miles a German engineer gets his wings” brings back feelings of nostalgia reminding

consumers of a famous line from the popular Christmas movie What a Wonderful Life. In the end

of this beloved Christmas movie the little girl exclaims to her father “teacher says every time a

bell rings an angel gets its wings”. Because of the emotional responses and creativity used

throughout the advertisement it is clear that the majority of this commercial is an example of

right brain advertising. Although the commercial is for the most part right brain there is one

logical component which was the 100,000 mile statement, which is used in the company’s

message strategy.

In this commercial Volkswagen has created all the elements of the creative brief are very

apparent. Creative briefs include the objective, target audience, message theme, support and

constraints of the advertisement. A creative brief is normally made by the client to showcase the

information provided to create advertisements which convey the desired message. Creative briefs

are used as a blueprint for the advertisement before it is created (Clow & Baack, 2014, pp. 134-

145). The objective of the “Wings” commercial was to increase brand awareness and increase
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customer perception of the brand by promoting the brands statement that they have more cars on

the road with more than 100,000 miles than any other car company. The target audience for this

advertisement was all the consumers who watched the super bowl as well as domestic, business

professionals. The message theme which was used throughout this advertisement was the right

brain approach, utilizing emotion, creativity and nostalgia. There was one support claim for the

commercial and it is the phrase at the end which states “Volkswagen has the most vehicles on the

road with over 100,000 miles on the road, that’s the power of German engineering” (Volkswagen

of America, Inc., 2014). The constraints included in this advertisement include a citation which

occurs at the bottom of the advertisement at the end which states “*Calculation of total vehicles

with over 100,000 miles per brand based on Wolfram Alpha (www.wolframalpha.com) average

mileage per year data and IHS Automotive: Polk global registrations in 49 countries, as of

November 2013.”

The main goals of advertising include building brand awareness, informing consumers

and supporting other marketing efforts. Building brand awareness is the process of making

consumers remember and think of a company’s name when they are about to make a purchasing

decision (Clow & Baack, 2014, p. 131). This advertisement builds brand image by developing

positive emotions about the brand through the appeals to emotion and humor which customers

will remember. The advertisement also builds brand image by including the tagline “that’s the

power of German engineering” and the brand logo throughout the advertisement (ispot.tv, 2014).

The advertisement is also successful at informing customers about the brand. Informing

consumers about your brand is very important according to Clow and Blaack. Informing

consumers about product details or brand details makes the consumers purchasing process seem

simpler. This is done throughout the commercial as Volkswagen informs consumers about their
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100,000 mile claim. This advertisement also supports other marketing efforts which improved

the effectiveness of the advertisement (Clow & Baack, 2014, p. 132). As part of a series of

creative Volkswagen advertisements which focus on the quality of the brand. Before this

advertisement was released the teaser “Algorithm”. The teaser jokingly includes examples of all

the different marketing appeals but implies that the German engineering will help them to get it

right at the game time spot (Volkswagen of America, Inc., 2014). Using this advertisement as

part of a larger promotional campaign helps customers to notice themes about the company and

makes it more memorable.

Application

In class we learned about VALS2 which stands for: Values, Attributes, and Lifestyles and

is based on Psychographic segmentation. Based on, Integrated Advertising, Promotion, and

Marketing Communications written by Kenneth Clow and Donald Baack, “VALS typology

categorizes respondents into eight different groups based on resources and on the extent to which

they are action-oriented.” They also mention that, “Strategic Business Insights provides a

popular classification of lifestyles using psychographic segmentation.” It is also combined with

demographics of their target market as well such as their geographic location, age, and gender.

Companies can understand their target market easier if they use psychographic information.

Businesses are not only using demographics anymore when it comes to finding their target

market. With psychographic information on a certain target audience, businesses can understand

the type of person their consumers are based on their values. The target market would include

values such as thinkers, achievers, and strivers. Kia understood their target market from also

understanding the aspects of VALS2. Kia, as a company, has to know the values, attributes, and

lifestyles of their target market in order to sell their product and be successful. They knew their
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target audience for Kia Optima was males, 30-40, who had families, and were generally business

professionals. Besides the basic demographics, they also use psychographics to know how to

market to their customers. A person who is a “Thinker” tends to be educated, conservative, and

practical, who like upscale products. Someone who is an “Achiever” is goal-oriented,

conservative, and bases their lives on career and family. A “Striver” is someone who is trendy,

fun-loving, and enjoys company from peers. All of these are based off of psychographic

information to define a target audience. Kia uses these three psychographic segmentations well

when it came to creating an advertisement by using a young father, who has a family, and

dressed like a business professional.

“The Fish,” advertisement was strictly right brain advertising. Right brain advertising

according to Kenneth Clow and Donald Baak, authors of Integrated Advertising, Promotion, and

Marketing Communications, “works with abstract ideas, images, and feelings.” When the

viewers watched the ad, they saw how the car ran and how it looked from the outside and inside.

This can help a viewer imagine themselves in the car, which can cause a person to want to buy

the item more because they can picture themselves owning it. Consumers will have a better

image of the brand if they can relate to it. People who could relate to this ad would generally be,

middle aged men with families, who were business professionals.

The ad was emotional because the father was rushing home in order to replace the fish his

daughter had had, before she got home from school. He gets back home just in time to replace

the fish and his daughter is happy, believing that it was her old fish Bubbles. The result in the

end is that his daughter is happy, his wife is happy, and he is happy with his sporty car. “Having

an emotional advertising can capture a viewer’s attention and create an attachment between the

consumer and the brand,” according to Kenneth Clow and Donald Bakk, authors of Integrated
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Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing Communications. Also, the music played in the

background was very memorable because it was fast paced. When people listen to something

that is fast paced, they tend to pay attention more to get the information being told. People who

enjoy a song are more likely to like a brand as well. This creates a positive attitude between the

customers and the company. Also, it helps with brand recall. Because people have a positive

image of the company they are more likely to recall the brand and make choosing that brand

easier.
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References

Clow, K. E., & Baack, D. (2014). Integrated Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing Communications (6th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

ispot.tv. (2014). 2014 Kia Optima TV Spot, 'Fish'. Retrieved from ispot.tv: http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7flB/2014-
kia-optima-fish

ispot.tv. (2014). Volkswagen Super Bowl 2014 TV Spot, 'Wings' Song by Giorgio Moroder. Retrieved from
ispot.tv: http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7T_0/volkswagen-super-bowl-2014-wings-song-by-giorgio-moroder

Kia Motors America Inc. (2013, Jaunuary 9). Kia Motors America Launches Three-Part Marketing Campaign
For Significantly Redesigned 2014 Sorento. Retrieved from PR Newswire:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kia-motors-america-launches-three-part-marketing-
campaign-for-significantly-redesigned-2014-sorento-186200872.html

Kia Motors America, Inc. (2014, July 2). KIA TOPS MAINSTREAM BRANDS IN STRATEGIC VISION’S TOTAL
QUALITY INDEX STUDY. Retrieved from KIA News Room:
http://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/media/pressreleases/9028/kia-tops-mainstream-brands-in-
strategic-visions-total-quality-index-study

Kia Motors America, Inc. (2014). Social Responsability. Retrieved from Kia:
http://www.kia.com/worldwide/about-kia/social-responsibility/

Kia Motors America, Inc. (2014). Retrieved from KIA:

http://www.kia.com/us/en/home?series=sorento&year=2015

MacKenzie, C., & Shaw, S. (2014, February 4). Advertising Effectiveness Report 2014 Super Bowl . Retrieved
from
http://www.autometrics.com/pdf/2014%20Super%20Bowl%20XLVIII%20Initial%20Report%2002%20
04%2013.pdf

Richards, L. (2014). What Industry Spends the Most on Advertising? Retrieved from Small Buisness by
Demand Media: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/industry-spends-advertising-22512.html

Volkswagen of America, Inc. (2014, January 28). VOLKSWAGEN UNVEILS GAME DAY SPOT. Retrieved from Das
Auto.: http://media.vw.com/release/667/