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The “stupid Kia ad” people complained about was most likely part of Kia’s Times Square campaign for the 2021 Sorento during the countdown into 2021. Kia sponsored the countdown and promoted the Sorento on digital billboards, while also announcing a separate 30-second TV commercial. Those were related placements, but not the same execution—and Kia’s announcement does not show that the countdown itself was replaced by a commercial.
Which Kia ad are people talking about?
The likely reference is Kia’s campaign for the all-new 2021 Sorento, announced on December 29, 2020, ahead of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021 on ABC. Kia described a 30-second broadcast spot called “The World’s First Storytelling Machine” and also promoted the Sorento on One Times Square digital billboards beneath the Ball and the “2021” numerals. Kia’s campaign announcement identifies both placements.
That distinction matters because “the ad” could mean the TV spot, the branding visible in Times Square, or both. The company announced a television commercial and countdown sponsorship; its announcement does not establish that the countdown was literally replaced by a Kia commercial.
Why did it feel like the countdown was an ad?
Some viewers in a contemporaneous Reddit discussion described the ball drop as “just an ad” or said the countdown appeared over a Kia commercial. Other commenters defended the branding as typical of Times Square. These comments document individual reactions, not a representative poll or evidence of how most viewers felt. The discussion captures the complaint, but it cannot establish how widely it was shared.
The likely source of the impression was the combination of sponsor visibility around the countdown and a separate Sorento spot in the broadcast. Kia’s public announcement lays out the campaign, but does not provide a broadcast recording or detailed timing that would settle exactly what appeared on every viewer’s screen.
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What was the Sorento campaign trying to say?
Kia said the campaign began in early December 2020 with a cross-country trip carrying the “2021” numerals to One Times Square. The TV spot was created by agency David & Goliath and presented the Sorento as a “Storytelling Machine.” Kia also described plans to host frontline workers and their families in Times Square.
Russell Wager, Kia’s director of marketing operations, explained the advertiser’s rationale this way: “New Year’s Eve marks a fresh start and a new beginning. It’s another chance for us to write our own story.” That is Kia’s campaign framing, not an independent assessment of the ad or the vehicle.
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Was the later Kia EV9 stunt the same ad?
No. Kia’s 2021 Sorento campaign should not be confused with a later Times Square execution involving the EV9 for the transition into 2024. In that separate stunt, the EV9 used power from its charge port to light a screen after the building was blacked out shortly before midnight, according to the production account from Assembly. The model, year and creative execution were different.
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Did Kia keep sponsoring the countdown?
Yes. New Tradition’s current sponsor listing includes Kia for the countdowns in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. The venue advertising operator’s page establishes recurring sponsorship, not that the same commercial or creative ran every year.
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- Made of zinc alloy with ABS plastic parts
- 5.9 inch x 2.2 inch x 1.8 inch(size)
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- Very suitable as children 4 years and up toys for birthday,Christmas gift, new year. Also it can be a gift for your boyfriend
New Tradition also currently presents promotional estimates of more than 1 million in-person attendees and more than 1 billion viewers at home. Those are general event figures, not independently verified counts of people who saw the 2021 Kia campaign. No campaign-specific, independently verified 2021 audience figure is established by the cited sources.
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- DIMENSIONS: Approximately 3 inches in length, sized perfectly for play or display with other Hot Wheels vehicles
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