As the years pass by, the Bo Jackson mythos grows stronger and stronger. Over the past 30 years, there have only been a handful of two-sport professional athletes—we can add Timothy Tebow to that group now. Jackson’s physical dominance in both football and baseball still feels fake. It’s as if LeBron, another Kia athlete, moonlighted as a 1,000 yard tight end for the Browns. Jackson’s physical dominance was no more evident than on Tecmo Bowl where Bo did what he did best: run fast.
The Kia ad features the classic Tecmo Bowl song with present day Bo coming to real life. Hopping into a Kia SUV, Bo displays how all-wheel drive can be especially useful on virtual grass. The virtual world is Jackson’s world after all. Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson is only second to Madden 2004 Michael Vick in video game dominance. Honestly, even current day Bo Jackson still looks like he could strap on some cleats for the Raiders.
I’m not an ad executive, but evolution for this ad seems pretty clear. Former Bucs fullback Mike Alstott runs through an old NFL Blitz game and comes through on the other side with a Kia minivan. A passing of the torch from one video game legend to another. Nothing hits home quite like nostalgia, and Kia nailed it with this ad.
(via Kia)
