Description
Kia America is reveling in the joy, adventure and excitement of the classic American road-trip in a new two-part creative campaign for the 2026 Sportage SUV. As the fast-growing brand’s longest-running nameplate, the popular Kia Sportage was recently updated to include a dynamic exterior design featuring a broad, upright grille and a tech-forward cabin with advanced wireless connectivity.
The episodic campaign features two 30-second spots that take viewers along for the journey of a lifetime. Entitled “Keep the Adventure Going” and set to “Rock’n Me” by the Steve Miller Band, the first episode follows a young man in a Sportage X-Pro as he drives through various weather conditions and over multiple terrains, with the progress of his cross-country road trip charted by the location on his ever-changing t-shirt. Making a stop in Texas, the driver meets his match – literally – when he spots a young lady wearing the same t-shirt. Hinting of things to come, the tagline “Keep the Adventure Going” appears before the spot cuts to the happy couple, now seated side by side in the Sportage, wearing his-and-hers “Virginia is for Lovers” t-shirts.
Picking up where the first let off, we next see the couple – now driving a Sportage HEV with a turbo hybrid powertrain – continuing their adventure and celebrating life’s milestones along the way.
“Sportage is Kia’s longest-running nameplate for a reason, because it is the perfect SUV for every driver regardless of life stage,” said Russell Wager, vice president, marketing, Kia America. “With its class-leading interior space, advanced driver assistance features, a tech-forward cabin and available electrified powertrains, Sportage is built for anything people might encounter on the road of life.”
In addition to the 30-second broadcast spots, making their debut in July, the campaign includes 15-second shorts, digital, print and out-of-home components as well as paid social media including social skins and banners ads across a variety of platforms including: TikTok, Pinterest, Meta, Reddit and Snapchat.
This professional campaign titled 'T-Shirt Tripping' was published in United States in July, 2025. It was created for the brand: Kia America, by ad agency: David&Goliath. This Film medium campaign is related to the Automotive and Personal Transportation industry and contains 2 media assets. It was submitted 5 months ago.
Credits
Agency: DAVID&GOLIATH
Founder & Creative Chairman: David Angelo
Chief Creative Officer: Ben Purcell
Executive Creative Director: Avi Pinchevsky
Head of Automotive Art, GCD / Art Director: John O’Hea
Group Creative Director: Mike Czako
Creative Director: Ben Sweitzer
Creative Director: Sammy Glicker
Associate Creative Director: Diego Wortmann
Associate Creative Director: Erick Monero
Art Director: Riley Rawson
Copywriter: Danny White
Chief Strategy Officer: Brendan Robertson
Group Strategy Director: Gabi Levi
Strategy Director: Kelly Slater
Jr Strategist: Chase Culver
Group Communications Strategy Director: Jeff Cannata
Associate Communications Director: Amy Wu
Executive Director, Strategic Communications: Luke Hughes
Managing Director: Allison Draskovich
Account Director: Kylie Harmon
Account Supervisor: Madison Herzog
Account Executive: Barbara Lopez
Account Executive: Ben Ramirez
Senior Product Information Specialist: Mark McNaul
Senior Product Information Specialist: Travis Ray
Managing Director, Broadcast Production: Paul Albanese
Group Executive Producer: Christopher Coleman
Senior Producer: Tom Meloth
Managing Director, Integrated Production & Technology: Peter Bassett
Senior Digital Producer: Maria Farris
Digital Producer: Julia Lam
Executive Print Producer: Elisa Atwood
Director of Business Affairs: Quynh-An Phan
Business Affairs Manager: Kristina Van
Associate Business Affairs Manager: Mariel Clark
Traffic Director: Jermelia Holling
Chief of Integration: Amy Chiang
Associate Director Project Management: Jon Cindric
Project Manager: Hanna Kosinski
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Dante Ariola
President & Co Founder: David Zander
Director of Photography: Alwin Küchler
Executive Producer: Eriks Krumins
Line Producer: Natalie Hill
Production Service Company: Filmgroup
Executive Producer: Nathan Miles
Executive Producer: Renee Paulin
Head of Production: Alexandra Wilson
Line Producer: Katerina Ireland
Editorial Company: Spinach
Editor: Damion Clayton (courtesy of Rock Paper Scissors)
Assistant Editor: Jobe Lowe (courtesy of Rock Paper Scissors)
Assistant Editor: Sam Slavkin (courtesy of Rock Paper Scissors)
Assistant Editor: Jonatas da Silva (courtesy of Rock Paper Scissors)
Managing Director: Adam Bright
Executive Producer: Jonathan Carpio
Producer: Patricia Gushikuma
VFX Company: Jamm
VFX Supervisor
Andy Boyd
Creative Lead
Jake Montgomery
Creative Team
Brandon Thomas
Alex Koester
Franz Kol
Navid Sanati
Production Team
Mike Wigart
AnnMarie Dupauw
Color Studio: Trafik
Colorist: Mark Gethin
Producer, Color: Karena Ajamian
Music Publishing House: Sailor Music
Music Record Label: Sailor Records
Music Title: “Rock’n Me”
Composer: Steve Miller
Performers: Steve Miller Band
Audio Services & Sound Design: Racket Club
Sound Designer & Mixer: Nathan Dubin
Executive Producer: Adrea Lavezzoli
Asst Mixer: Anton Doty
