The Super Bowl has gone to the (robot) dogs with Kia plugging electric pooches

Cute dogs and Super Bowl ads are a tried-and-true pairing. But robot dogs? Pooches of the electric variety could be having a moment this year, with both Kia and beer brand Sam Adams including them in Super Bowl marketing.

Kia Motors this week released its 60-second Super Bowl ad that plugs its new EV, the EV6, by introducing Robo Dog—a plug-in puppy that chases the EV6 in search of a charge. Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” plays during the pursuit, which ends with the puppy getting some much-needed juice from the EV6.

The ad, from agency David & Goliath, is accompanied by a range of digital marketing meant to popularize the pooch.

A TikTok integration includes a video showing the dog turning around every time “turn around” is heard during Tyler’s song. Kia is also promoting the Petfinder Foundation— which supports animal shelters—with what it calls “Robo Dogmented Reality.” That involves asking people to scan a QR code distributed on Kia digital channels that results in the Robo Dog coming to life on smartphone screens, and also gives a link to a Petfinder site where users can find dogs in need of adoption.

Kia joins BMW and Nissan in using the Super Bowl to promote new EVs as automakers ramp up production of plug-in cars.

“To introduce over 100 million viewers to the Kia EV6, we wanted to juxtapose the future with the emotions we all know and understand today – the love that can be shared between a human and an animal,”  Russell Wager, vice president of marketing for Kia America, said in a statement.

Click here for our compilation of all the automotive 2022 Super Bowl ads.