To compete with high-end manufacturers, Kia redesigned, altered its logo, and introduced an all-electric vehicle in early last year. The degree of interest in the EV6 is “nearly three times” greater than any combustion engine the company has released to the market, according to General Manager of Marketing Dean Norbiato. While this is going on, a conscious strategy to build up the Kia brand and move away from a value- and price-driven proposition is succeeding. Aligning with the Australian Open and securing sponsorships with prestigious brands like Rolex, Penfolds, Piper-Heidsieck, Emirates, and Ralph Lauren would help Kia get where it wants to go more quickly.
What you should know is:
- Kia is enjoying the benefits of a long-standing partnership as the Australian Open’s primary sponsor for the 21st consecutive year. Supply chain problems prevented its early-year rebranding with a new logo and platform, but a significant event has given it a competitive advantage and a huge brand-building platform.
- According to Dean Norbiato, general manager for marketing at Kia, the company is now “putting equity into the brand” after once being recognized for “cheap” cars.
- As Kia introduces a revamped electric vehicle, the affiliation with other high-end sponsorssuch as Rolex, Ralph Lauren, and Penfoldsbrings a halo effect.
- Despite many vehicles delivered last year still bearing the old emblem, Norbiato predicts that association with the new logo will be close to 100%. After the Australian Open, there is a significant boost.
- Norbiato alleges that several spectators purchased Open tickets solely to view Kia’s brand-new electric vehicle. He has never witnessed such a high degree of attention.
If you don’t invest in the brand, someone will eventually undercut you by offering a lower price, and you’ll be forced into a downward spiral of competition.
In the beginning of 2021, Kia did not have any of its automobiles available for sale in Australia with the new logo. The new tagline was “Movement that Inspires,” but because of supply chain issues, the newly branded vehicles didn’t move much.
However, more than a year later, the significant branding and a concentrated effort to inject equity into the Kia name are beginning to bear fruit, according to Dean Norbiato, the company’s general manager of marketing. And one of the main factors in it has been the company’s 21-year connection with the Australian Open.
The Australian Open, perhaps the biggest athletic event in the world each January, has had Kia as a key sponsor for 21 years. Both within and outside of Australia, millions tune in live. Around 800,000 people visited Melbourne Park at its pre-Covid zenith. It was still only nearly half of the MCG’s four full audiences this year.
Few companies have as much expertise as Kia does in fully capitalizing on a major sporting event: substantial sponsorship with Nine, a B2B corporate hospitality suite on-site, influencers, cross-channel digital advertising, social media strategy, on-ground vehicle presentations, and more. It’s a substantial operation. Every person who was transported to the event in a fleet of Kia Ubers in years past had the opportunity to ride in one.
For the most of those years, Kia competed primarily on price and value.
According to Norbiato, if you don’t invest in your brand, someone else will eventually undercut you by offering a lower price, and you’ll be forced to compete on price.
“However, we wanted to build brand equity so that we’ll be selling products that people want to buy for more emotional reasons than just the rational ones, which will still exist. And doing so and projecting that level of premium-ness onto the Kia brand has been made possible by our affiliation with high-end tournaments like the Australian Open.
It is instantly obvious when walking around Melbourne Park that the companies connected to the competition are nearly all associated with luxury: Rolex, Penfolds, Piper-Heidsieck champagne, and Emirates. The ball kids are outfitted in Ralph Lauren clothing, and a pair of their shoes costs $269.
“With brands like Emirates and Rolex all around us, having Kia talked in that lingo undoubtedly helps to further elevate our position as a premium brand. Norbiato claims that in order to be premium, we ultimately want to be premium for everyone.
We want to have a car that can be your first car or a car you’ve always wanted in the top tier of electric automobiles as well. If you lock the car and walk away, will you peek back to see if you actually like it? We want Kia owners to be proud to gaze back at their just-locked vehicle. Their automobile is that.
With the new logo introduced the previous year, it was clear that this new brand could advance confidently.
At the Australian Open, a Kia Sportage was on display in front of a Ralph Lauren store.
Norbiato receives daily updates on the most recent sales and inquiry information. Over 67,000 Kia automobiles were sold in the previous year. According to VFacts estimates, it was the fifth most popular brand in Australia, with sales up 21% from 2020. It had a higher post-Covid comeback than any other top 10 brand, with the exception of MG, the former British sports marque that is returning to Australia under Chinese ownership.
Kia has experienced difficulties locating semiconductor chips and delivering cars, but this has led to a renewed emphasis on brand message rather than retail targeting.
We don’t have to lead with retail messages; instead, Norbiato argues, we can take advantage of this chance to lean deeper into the brand space and strengthen our brand.
“Last year, the unveiling of the new logo was a turning point that allowed us to firmly advance as this new brand. Even though money has been scarce, we have managed to direct it toward more brand-related initiatives.
Only 26% of Australians could recognize the new emblem, according to brand association tests conducted at the beginning of the year. That increased to 56% after the postponed Australian Open in the previous year. By December, it had creeped up to 78%, and Norbiato anticipates that with this most recent record-breaking championship, it will be close to 100%. OzTam reports that the grand final victory of Ash Barty peaked at 4.3 million viewers.
According to us, the Australian Open is the best venue on which to do it. “As we go through the process of onboarding a new logo, the share of voice and the cut through that you get in a sport like tennis have been incredibly useful for us as a brand.
Kia compiles a dossier of inquiry data, conversion figures, and softer metrics like brand traits and association, intention, and level of consideration to gauge boost after the competition.
As we put everything together, Norbiato remarks, “It is like A Beautiful Mind. But as a sector, we have an abundance of data. Just make sure that we analyze it appropriately so that we can construct and comprehend what functions. We live in the real world, after all. Unfortunately, not everything is functional.
About 500 of Kia’s EV6 vehicles, the company’s first entirely electric vehicle, will be sold to Australians in 2022. According to Norbiato, he has heard of individuals purchasing Australian Open ground tickets solely to view the vehicle in person.
I’ve worked in sports for 10 to 15 years, but this is the first I’ve heard of it, he says.
Typically, if you have a ticket to a tennis match, you can look inside as a result of your attendance. That is but one example of this vehicle’s strength.
According to Norbiato, “almost three times” as many people are interested in the EV6 as they are in any combustion engine the business has released to the market.
The year 2020, which was truly exceptional, has experienced growth. Strong single-digit growth has been observed. Additionally, we’ve experienced some record rise in BVOD viewing.
The Australian Open tournament’s major sponsor, Kia, was also the broadcaster Nine’s major sponsor.
“We’ve experienced growth since 2020, a year that was truly exceptional. Strong single-digit growth has been observed. Additionally, our BVOD (broadcaster video on demand) viewership has experienced some record growth. According to Matthew Granger, Director of Sales for Sport at Nine, “We’ll get to market with some facts on our VOZ and Total TV viewing, but we’re thrilled with the overall numbers.”
“When you think back on the entire summer, it’s amazing how many incredible moments there were in just the first three or four weeks.
The brand-new Kia Arena, a 5,000-seat show court next to Rod Laver Arena, was unveiled by Tennis Australia in January. It had like this great race track roof on it as soon as I saw it, Norbiato claims.
And we immediately stated that we wanted to mount an automobile on that roof. Whether we meant a genuine car or an augmented reality car was unclear to [Nine]. They were quite lucky because it was augmented reality.
Granger can recall the exchange. Dean [Norbiato] is very extroverted and, according to him, he enjoys firsts very much. “The augmented reality aspect, I mean, we created from the bottom up for Kia to sit on top of that stadium. We weren’t entirely sure what he was trying to do.
A still from Nine’s augmented reality commercial for the Kia EV6 showing it driving around Kia Arena’s roof.
Reviewing the campaign and the deliverables clients requested is Nine’s next move, he claims. In order to get ready for the following year, Kia and other sponsors will follow suit. The planning process will begin soon. Kia’s work is not finished.
According to Norbiato, it involves not simply following the same playbook year after year.
“At my core, I’m a brand marketer. We have a very capable performance-based staff and a very capable digital manager that excels at both brand and performance.
“Our largest strategic problem was bridging the perceived vs actual quality divide. We’re very much on a brand-building journey as we try to inform and inspire as many people as we can.
In This Article...
What football team does Kia support?
Bolton As the official West Stand sponsor at the storied University of Bolton Stadium, Kia is thrilled to announce the extension of its long-standing sponsorship for the Bolton Wanderers Football Club.
The dealership has sponsored the football team for more than ten years and is situated at the Middlebrook Retail Park just close to the stadium.
As expected by supporters, the partnership will see the continuance of the recognizable and conspicuous Kia branding across the “Bolton Kia West Stand,” both inside and outside the stadium.
Bolton Kia’s Dealer Principle, Kevin Howard, said: “We’re very pleased to continue supporting our neighborhood club during these difficult times.
“Numerous Bolton Kia customers are ardent supporters of the club, so our continuous sponsorship is a terrific way to support not only our hometown team but also a beloved member of our clientele.
“Coronavirus has caused a lot of turmoil for the club, but Bolton Kia’s sponsorship and support for the team remain unwavering. We send the team our best wishes for the next season.
“Over the coming several years, we are eager to carry on this journey together.
As part of the sponsorship, Bolton Kia gives the team several Kia cars to utilize as transportation and marketing tools. Included in this are the consistently well-liked efficient and useful Kia Sportage, as well as the recently updated Kia Rio and Kia Picanto, which now come standard with connection amenities. Every car is covered by Kia’s industry-best seven-year warranty.
What activities does Kia support?
As the NBA’s Official Automotive Partner, Kia enjoys a close working relationship with both the league and 14 of its teams.
Sponsorships in professional sports
- Archery.
- a motorsport.
- Basketball.
- Cricket.
- Excessive sports.
- Football.
- Golf.
- Polo.
Who in the NRL does Kia sponsor?
The Brisbane Broncos’ Major Partner is Kia Australia. Since its founding in 1988, the club, one of Australia’s top sports organizations, has experienced consistent success, taking home six Premierships.
The Brisbane Broncos are the only sports team with an ASX listing in Australia, and they have a big fan base all around the country. The Broncos are committed to changing lives by giving back to the neighborhood that helps the team, which fits in well with Kia Motors Australia’s family values.
What does the Australian Open’s 1573 mean?
Show Court 2 made its debut at the 1988 Australian Open after being built in 1987 along with the remainder of the original Melbourne Park area. At the Australian Open, spectators with a ground pass have always had walk-up access to the court. The area is directly west of Margaret Court Arena. The Australian Open’s opening week is typically crowded with spectators watching outdoor matches on the court, which has seating and shaded areas but no roof. [3] After signing a five-year sponsorship agreement with Tennis Australia, which included corner signage on both Margaret Court and Rod Laver Arena, the Chinese distillery Luzhou Laojiao, maker of a baijiu branded Guojiao 1573, changed the venue’s name to 1573 Arena for commercial purposes beginning with the 2019 Australian Open. [4] According to rumors, the agreement will cost roughly as much as Kia’s significant cooperation agreement with the Australian Open. [5] [6] The court can hold 3,000 people at one time. [1]
Is Kia an Australian Open sponsor?
Kia has been the Australian Open’s longest-running major partner, and as such, has been instrumental in helping the players and developing tennis.
Who is the FIFA World Cup’s sponsor?
Vivo has previously participated in sports. After the 2020 India-China military showdown at Galwan Valley, it was obliged to resign as the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which equals cricket’s own World Cups in every way. In response to the protests in Hong Kong, Vivo severed its relationship with the NBA.
The BCCI and Vivo signed a deal of INR 2200 crore for the T20 cricket event from 2018 to 2022.
After Wanda and Hisense, Vivo is the third Chinese corporation to negotiate sponsorship agreements with FIFA.
The EdTech company sponsored the FIFA World Cup 2022 in March, making it the first Indian brand to be linked with FIFA.
In the meantime, the Qatar World Cup trophy tour began on Thursday with a stop in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Before the competition later this year, World Cup champions Iker Casillas of Spain and Kaka of Brazil sent the original World Cup trophy on its voyage around the globe.