Australian sporting heroes star in Kia ute commercial

Buddy Franklin, Ash Barty, David Boon and Damien Oliver are among 20 Australian sporting heroes joining forces in a TV ad akin to a Super Bowl commercial. WATCH IT HERE

The biggest cast of famous faces in a single Australian TV commercial has been broadcast to launch the new Kia ute.

A total of 20 sporting icons are in the blockbuster advert including AFL superstars Buddy Franklin and Dermott Brereton, tennis legend Ash Barty, former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh, Melbourne Cup winning jockey Damien Oliver and Australian soccer stars John Aloisi and Mackenzie Arnold.

The backdrop for the advert is an iconic Australian pub where the celebrities are debating what Kia should call the ute, which will first hit Aussie roads in 2025.

Buddy Franklin kicked more than 1000 goals during his career.

The design and name of the car – billed as ‘Kia’s most Australian vehicle ever’ – has not been revealed.

Kia Australia ambassador Dylan Alcott said filming the advertisement was a surreal experience.

“I can’t believe we’re all in the one spot, in the same room. It’s pretty sick,” Alcott said.

The biggest cast of sporting faces in a single Australian TV commercial has been broadcast to launch the new Kia ute, including three-time Melbourne Cup winning jockey Damien Oliver.

“I hope the viewers have fun watching it because we all had fun making it. And all of us from different sports and different decades, it’s a pretty cool thing to be a part of,” he said.

Kia Australia General Manager Marketing Dean Norbiato said that the inspiration for the advert came from the Aussie tradition of everyone having a nickname.

“We were looking for a unique and quintessentially Aussie way to launch Kia’s most Australian product ever – our ute – and what better way than to bring together our country’s most iconic themes – sporting heroes, nicknames and an old-fashioned Aussie watering hole,” Mr Norbiato said.

“To be able to get some of Australia’s most decorated sporting stars from different eras and sports to be in the same place, debating why their nickname is the best for the Kia ute is about as distinct and different from the category norms as we could concoct,” he said.

“The sporting star’s stats speak for themselves and this group is highly qualified to have the ute named after them; but we’re still undecided on what to call the ute so stay tuned for that announcement.”

The TVC first aired during the broadcast of the inaugural NRL Rugby League in Las Vegas games on Sunday night.

The sport stars boast 29 Premierships, four Paralympic gold medals, four World Championships, 26 Grand Slams, one Golden Slam, three Melbourne Cups, six sporting captains, two Australians of the Year, two Young Australians of the Year, nine Hall of Fame entrants and a National Living Treasure.

The group of household names have also been leaders in their sport with more than 107 NRL State of Origin games, 299 test cricket games, 129 Group 1 horse racing wins, more than 17,500 test cricket runs, almost 1500 AFL goals, two golden boots, four Coleman Medals, two Dally M Medals, 14 Scobie Breasley Medals and one Allan Border Medal.