Chairs are like Facebook. And colorful socks are like Kia.
In one of the more amusing advertising metaphors we've seen in a while, Kia likens its midsize Optima sedan to very colorful socks—in its Super Bowl commercial, starring Christopher Walken, which rolled out online Tuesday in a slightly extended version.
Where the famous Facebook metaphor was overblown and arrogant, Kia's is delightfully self-deprecating. And Walken's comically intense performance, with shades of Captain Koons, will surely be among the most well-liked of any celebrity on Sunday's game.
The spot, created by David&Goliath, starts off with an amusingly dumb pun. A husband enters his "Walken Closet," where we first see an endless wardrobe of beige. Then, out of nowhere, the actor accosts our hero and delivers a speech about people who blend in, and people who stand out.
Eventually, Walken shows the guy the Optima, and delivers the most comically underwhelming line you're likely to see on behalf of any product on Sunday: "It's like the world's most exciting pair of socks. But it's a midsize sedan."
The ad will air in the third quarter in a 60-second version—15 seconds shorter than this one.
"There are a few special moments in one's career. Those times when you find yourself in an interesting place, making something you never thought possible, with someone you never thought you'd meet," David&Goliath chief creative officer Colin Jeffery said in a statement. "Being in a closet with Christopher Walken and 600 pairs of beige slacks was definitely one of those moments."
The spot is Kia's second straight celebrity Super Bowl success, following 2015's Sorento spot with Pierce Brosnan, which Adweek deemed one of the top five ads of the game.
Walken, 72, has done plenty of ads before, including this 2013 series of award-winning spots for Danish clothing brand Jack & Jones, in which he played the world's weirdest tailor.
• For more Super Bowl 50 news, check out Adweek's Super Bowl Ad Tracker, an up-to-date list of the brands running Super Bowl spots and the agencies involved in creating them.
CREDITS
Client: Kia Motors America
Agency: David&Goliath
Founder & Chairman: David Angelo
Chief Creative Officer: Colin Jeffery
Chief Digital Officer: Mike Geiger
President: Brian Dunbar
Chief Strategy Officer: Seema Miller
Creative Director: John O'Hea
Creative Director: Brandon Davis
Art Directors: Shaun Wright, Mike Cornell
Copywriters: Joe Shaner, Andy Sciamanna
Senior Digital Art Director: Bernice Chao
Senior Digital Art Director: Matt Koulermos
Senior Designer: Katherine Ahn
Director of Creative Services: Frannie Rhodes
Senior Project Manager: Kemit Ray
Director of Broadcast Production: Paul Albanese
Executive Broadcast Producer: Christopher Coleman
Director of Art Production: Andrea Mariash
Senior Print Production Manager: Elisa Atwood
Digital Producer: Justine Kleeman
Managing Director: Jeff Moohr
Account Director: Gordon Gray
Account Executive: Annelise Lorenzo
Digital Account Director: Jeanann Grubbs
Digital Account Supervisor: Sarah Kirsch
Planning Director: Andrew Lynch
Senior Planner: Ed Gibson
Senior Digital Strategist: Rachel Fletcher
Director, Business Affairs: Rodney Pizarro
Business Affairs Manager: Camara Price
Product Information Manager: Russ Wortman
Product Information Manager: Mark McNaul
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Matthijs Van Heijningen
Director of Photography: Joost van Gelder
President: David Zander
Senior Executive Producer: Eriks Krumins
Producer: Donald Taylor
Editorial Company: Cut+Run
Editor: Steve Gandolfi
Assistant Editor: Sean Fazende
Managing Director: Michelle Eskin
Executive Producer: Carr Schilling
Head of Production: Amburr Farls
VFX: MPC
VFX Creative Director: Paul O'Shea
VFX Senior Producer: Karen Anderson
VFX Producer: Abisayo Adejare
VFX Senior Compositor: Mark Holden
Grade: MPC LA
Color Executive Producer: Meghan Lang
Color Associate Producer: Rebecca Boorsma
Colorist: Ricky Gausis
Music & Sound Design: Stimmüng
Composer: Cyrus Melchor
Sound Designer: Gus Koven
Creative Director: Rory Doggett
Executive Producer: Ceinwyn Clark
Mix: Margarita Mix
Sound Engineer: Nathan Dubin