Raiders Running Back Josh Jacobs Talks to His Younger Self in Poignant Kia Super Bowl Ad

For the second year running, Kia has decided to shelve the tactics that car brands so often employ in their Super Bowl ads—celebrity endorsers, stunt drivers, adolescent-grade humor—in favor of a sober and provocative message. Released today, Kia’s spot for the Big Game pretty much leaves aside everything you’d associate with a car and instead uses its 60 seconds to talk about youth homelessness—starting with a guy you’d never associate with it. “Tough Never Quits,” produced by Kia’s agency of record David&Goliath, stars Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, and tells a story you won’t find on his Wikipedia page. Jacobs grew up homeless on the streets of Tulsa, Okla., raised by his father and frequently sleeping in his car. [kickout id="1"] The poignant ad, narrated by Jacobs, returns to those Tulsa streets, where Jacobs spots his younger self (portrayed by Boston Horne) running along the broken sidewalks. “Sometimes I wonder what I would tell my younger self if I ever saw him,” Jacobs intones. “I’d tell him, 'Josh, it’s going to be hard growing up homeless. But you’ve got to believe in yourself. Be tougher than the world around you.'” Directed by John Hillcoat (whose films include 2009’s The Road), the spot is heavy on gritty gray streets and predawn murk. The notable pop of color comes courtesy of the mustard yellow 2021 Kia Seltos SUV that Jacobs is driving. (This is still a commercial, after all.) Given the extravagant and fatuous nature of many Super Bowl ads, Kia’s decision to take a serious direction, while not without precedent, is still a bold one. It’s also thematically consistent, given the route that Kia took last year. For its 2019 Super Bowl spot, Kia not only tore up the playbook for spending megabucks on a celebrity endorser, but it was also overt about doing it. A young boy narrator reminded viewers how much money celebrities make to endorse brands, then asked: “What if a few of those celebrity paychecks got set aside to help un-famous people? What if this year, in some way, it was about the rest of us?” To muscle up its ad, Kia created what it called the Great Unknowns Scholarship. Aimed at helping underprivileged young people gain access to higher education, the automaker granted $5,000 awards to 16 students “with limited resources and limitless potential.” For 2020—and in conjunction with “Tough Never Quits”—Kia has created a new charitable initiative called Yards Against Homelessness. For every yard gained in the game, the company has pledged to donate $1,000 to Stand Up for Kids, Covenant House and Positive Tomorrows, three charities that focus on youth homelessness. [kickout id="2"] Jacobs—whose four-year contract was worth close to $12 million—is no longer homeless. Earlier this month, the 21-year-old tweeted his exuberance over buying his father a house. But no NFL salary can diminish the hard facts of Jacob’s youth, and it’s unlikely there's a more inspiring figure for a car brand than a football star who grew up having to sleep in one. “I can’t imagine a better purpose for a brand than to share this amazing story of Josh Jacobs and how he was able to find his way through his toughest challenge,” said David Angelo, founder and creative chairman of David&Goliath, in a statement. Added Russell Wager, director of marketing operations at Kia Motors America: “An ongoing tenet of Kia’s Give It Everything philosophy is to give back in meaningful ways, and we at Kia both admire and identify with Josh’s tenacity and determination.” This year marks the 11th consecutive Super Bowl in which Kia has advertised. For all the latest Super Bowl advertising news—who’s in, who’s out, teasers, full ads and more—check out Adweek’s Super Bowl 2020 Ad Tracker. And join us on the evening of Feb. 2 for the best in-game coverage of the commercials anywhere. CREDITS: Agency: David&Goliath David Angelo: Founder & Chairman Yumi Prentice: President Mark Koelfgen: Executive Creative Director/Copywriter Frauke Tiemann: Group Creative Director/Art Director Ben Purcell: Executive Creative Director/Copywriter John O'Hea: Group Creative Director/Art Director Steve Clarke: Group Creative Director/Copywriter Peter Watson: Art Director Caleb Nyberg: Copywriter Quinn Bokor Jr.: Art Director Alex Lee: Copywriter Bennett Austin: Associate Creative Director/Art Director Nick Micale: Associate Creative Director/Copywriter Paul Albanese: Managing Director, Broadcast Production Curt O'Brien: Executive Producer Justine Kleeman: Executive Digital Producer Danielle Watchman: Senior Producer Genevieve Shah: Digital Producer Natalia Celis Jr.: Producer Cara Nieto: Executive Art Producer Natasha Royzina Director: Business Affairs Marlon Pineda: Business Affairs Manager Amy Santana: Associate Business Affairs Manager Donesh Olyaie: Group Planning Director Jasmine Spraglin: Senior Strategist Jeff Cannata: Communications Planning Director Natalie Gomez: Senior Communications Planner Hailey Kim Jr.: Communications Planner Genie Lara: Associate Director of Project Management Maddy Murphy: Senior Project Manager Anna Carnochan Jr.: Project Manager Jeff Moohr: Managing Director Aleks Rzeznik: Account Director Nicole Pressman: Account Supervisor, National Annelise Lorenzo: Management Supervisor, National Sarah Masket: Management Supervisor, Digital Gabriella Mourad: Account Executive, Digital Britney Bencomo: Assistant Account Executive, Digital Russ Wortman: Automotive Specialist/Kia Product Information Manager Peter Bassett: Managing Director, Integrated Production & Technology Services Meagan Steinkamp: Digital Designer Kurtis Mirick: Digital Designer Production Company: Serial Pictures John Hillcoat: Director Phillippe Le Sourd: DP Violaine Etienne: Founding Partner/Executive Producer Jennifer Gee: Head of Production Tracy Broaddus: Producer Editorial Company: Spinach Jonathan Carpio: Executive Producer Patricia Gushikuma: Producer Cristy Torres: Producer Conor O’Neill: Editor “Super Bowl” Rex Lowry Asst. Editor: “Super Bowl” Adam Bright: Editor “Sustain & Teaser” Marshall Thompson: Assistant Editor “Sustain & Teaser” Color: MPC Mark Gethin: Colorist “Super Bowl” Nate Seymour: Color Assistant “Super Bowl” Diane Valera: Producer “Super Bowl” Color: a52 Color Daniel de Vue: Colorist “Sustain, Teaser” Corey Martinez, Dylan Bursick, Aaron Flickinger: Color Assistants “Sustain, Teaser” Jenny Bright: Producer “Sustain, Teaser” Thatcher Peterson: Executive Producer “Sustain, Teaser” Post: a52 Andy McKenna: Visual Effects Supervisor Andrew Romatz: CG Supervisor Adam Flynn, Kevin Stokes: 2D VFX Artists Patrick Nugent Sr.: Executive Producer Jillian Lynes: Producer Music Company: South Music Ann Haugen: EVP/Director of Production “Super Bowl” Ignacio Zas: Producer “Super Bowl” Music Company: RNDM ORDR Guin Frehling: Executive Producer “Teaser” Rory Doggett: Creative Director “Teaser” Rory Doggett: Music by “Teaser” Sound Design Company: RNDM ORDR Guin Frehling: Executive Producer “Super Bowl, Teaser” Rory Doggett: Creative Director “Super Bowl, Teaser” Gus Koven: Sound Designer “Super Bowl, Teaser” Nick Tuttle: Assistant Sound Designer “Super Bowl, Teaser” Music Company: Barking Owl Kelly Bayett: Creative Director “Sustain” Barking Owl: Composer “Sustain” KC Dossett: Producer “Sustain” Sound Design Company: Barking Owl Kelly Bayett: Creative Director “Sustain” KC Dossett: Producer “Sustain” Morgan Johnson: Sound Designer “Sustain” Audio Post Studio: Margarita Mix Nathan Dubin: Mixer/Engineer “Super Bowl” Whitney Morris, Paula Arnett: Executive Producers “Super Bowl’ Brian Frank: Operations Manager “Super Bowl” Audio Post Studio: Eleven Jeff Payne: Mixer/Engineer “Sustain, Teaser” Andrew Smith: Asst Mixer “Sustain, Teaser” Melissa Elston: Executive Producer “Sustain, Teaser” Imani Franklin: Producer “Sustain, Teaser” Documentary Production and Editorial Company: Spinach Steve Clarke/John O’Hea: Directors Juan Pablo Digenio: DP/Editor Danielle Watchman: Senior Producer Carlie Naftolin: Producer Jonathan Carpio: Executive Producer Noah Smith: Assistant Camera/Sound Documentary Color: Company3 Sean Coleman: Colorist Matt Moran: Producer Documentary Post: Method Studios Aaron Neitz: Lead Flame Artist Danielle Fowler: Junior Flame Artist Connor Callaghan: Executive Producer Kait Boehm: Producer Documentary Music: Howling Music Ryan Claus, Joshua Frerichs: Composers Ryan Claus, David Grow: Producers Documentary Sound Mix: Margarita Mix, Santa Monica Jeff Levy: Mixer/Engineer Whitney Morris, Paula Arnett: Executive Producers Brian Frank: Operations Manager