It’s 42 degrees, and I’m in a parking lot in Sydney’s west. A zombie shuffles past, its decayed face dripping in sweat under the Australian sun. Around me, an entire suburban carpark has been transformed into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Cars are abandoned, an empty shopping trolley rolls by, and a production assistant walks past dropping leaves on the ground. It’s not every day you find yourself on the set of a zombie film—let alone as one of the undead extras.
This is the world of Kia’s latest campaign for their range of electric vehicles: a high-stakes, zombie-let, the ad feels more like a scene out of a Hollywood blockbuster than a car commercial. The premise is as clever as it is absurd: in a world where noise attracts the undead, the quiet hum of Kia’s electric cars becomes the ultimate survival tool.
I wasn’t just observing the action—I was part of it. After a stint in the makeup chair, and a visit to wardrobe, I joined the zombie horde. It turns out playing a zombie is harder than it looks. Shuffling in 42-degree heat while trying to stay in character is no small feat, and let’s not talk about how challenging it is to “walk like a zombie” when you’ve not got a theatrical bone in your body. Still, the experience of sneaking into the background of a scene, dodging an EV9 & EV5 as they glided silently through the chaos, was surreal.
Speaking with Rousselet on set, it was clear that his enthusiasm for the project was infectious. “I fell in love with the script immediately,” he told me. “A zombie film set in an Australian suburb, edited to a cover of Staying Alive—what’s not to love? The twist with the EVs being the quiet heroes was just brilliant. Kia has this bold, fun vibe that really lets you push boundaries, which isn’t something you see from a lot of car brands.”
The ad’s execution is as ambitious as its concept. Most of what you see was filmed on location in Sydney, with streets dressed in full apocalyptic chaos by morning and cleared of debris by evening. “The hardest part was the time pressure,” Rousselet admitted. “Dressing entire streets, shooting the scenes, and cleaning everything up in one day was a massive challenge, but the team pulled it off.”
Rousselet’s cinematic background shines through in every frame. The campaign draws from classics like Dawn of the Dead and A Quiet Place but also incorporates plenty of Australian humour and subtle Easter eggs. “We didn’t want it to be a parody,” Rousselet said. “We treated the genre seriously, but we also had fun with it. There are little details you might not notice until you’ve watched it a few times.”
The ad’s stars, though, are undoubtedly the cars. With their attention-grabbing paint jobs and near-silent motor, the EV5 & EV9 each become a character in their own right, navigating the chaos with understated confidence. “We wanted the EVs to be the heroes,” Rousselet explained. “The camera stays close to them, experiencing the wild world alongside them.”
And then there were the zombies. Watching them mill around between takes, chatting with crew members or tucking into lunch (nothing like seeing a decaying corpse enjoy a pasta bake), was both hilarious and unsettling. Rousselet shared that casting the zombies had been a highlight of the process. “The audition tapes were hilarious. People groaning, shuffling, and falling over—it was so funny.”
The soundtrack—a Wyclef Jean cover of Staying Alive—adds a sly layer of humour to the ad’s tension. As Kia’s EVs glide silently through a zombie-filled suburb, the music underscores the absurdity of the situation while nodding to the genre’s campier side. It’s a delicate balance, but one that Kia and Rousselet handle with aplomb.
For me, though, the real fun was being part of the madness. There’s something surreal about standing in a suburban Sydney carpark, drenched in sweat and zombie makeup, trying to look possessed while a Kia EV glides silently past. It’s not your average day at work, but then again, this isn’t your average ad.
Kia’s zombie campaign is a masterclass in blending cinematic storytelling with brand messaging. It’s bold, creative, and not afraid to take risks—qualities that are all too rare in the world of car advertising. And somewhere, in the background of one of those shots, you might just spot a slightly-too-sweaty zombie trying to keep it together under the Australian sun.
This article is presented in partnership with Kia. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Boss Hunting.
