Kia: THE TRENDSETTER

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Use of Special Events and Stunt/Live Advertising

Advertiser: KIA MOTORS

Product/Service: KIA SPORTAGE

Agency: INNOCEAN WORLDWIDE

Date of First Appearance: Aug 16 2010

Entrant Company: MEDIA PLANNING GROUP, Madrid, SPAIN

Marketing Director: Ricardo de Diego (KIA Motors)

Account Manager MPG: Nieves Félix (MPG)

Account Manager Innocean: Jorge López (INNOCEAN)

Media placement: PRESS - VANITY FAIR - OCTOBER



Insights, Strategy & the Idea

July 2010. The recession is fiercely hitting Spain and the government adopts measures that affect to new car buyers. In this situation, KIA wants to keep improving its sales. Nevertheless, KIA is perceived as a not outstanding brand. Turning it into a cool brand, it would contribute to boost its sales.



For our target, coolness is the new way to understand premiumness. But despite being influenced by emotional drivers, value for money is still a must for them.



In order to change the brand perception and make it cooler, KIA had to be associated to a trendy territory, such as fashion could be. Hand in hand with Lydia Delgado and her catwalk in the Cibeles Fashion Show, KIA launched its new Sportage. Lydia represents perfectly our savvy target and is nowadays well-known in the fashion scene for her quality designs, her creativity and her elegance without ostentation.



Creative Execution

We created a 360º communication plan that, based on the link with fashion, Lydia Delgado and the CMFW, could complete the brand experience. The campaign consisted of:



* Launch party: the party is held at the Oscar’s hotel in Madrid. It is one of the most innovative hotels in the city. Celebrities attend this event and an important media call takes place.



* Magazines: long presence in main titles of life style, motor and trendy titles. Different formats to maximize our presence: advertorials, editorial support, colour page, exchange.



* Online: Facebook profile. In September, sponsorship of the main female and life style pages. Various formats to create a Sportage look and feel (backgrounds, video, interstitials). In October, campaign focused on main information sites.



* Merchandising designed by Lydia Delgado for Sportage that was handed out in fashion show.



* OoH: New Sportage video mapping over representative building fronts of Madrid.



Results and Effectiveness

From October to December, average sales per month of the KIA Sportage increased around 400% versus January to September period.



The repositioning campaign had a great repercussion not only in sales, but also in brand perception. The increasing figures in the following items show that the new KIA Sportage is cooler than ever (source: tracking KIA BPO – TNS, 4Q2010 versus 3Q2010):



+64% KIA Sportage has a distinctive design.

+333% KIA Sportage incorporates a lot of new ideas.

+78% KIA Sportage is innovative.



Just only 200 people attended to the exclusive launch party, but the media repercussion gave huge publicity.