Kia Motor Corporation is South Korea’s second largest automobile manufacturer, following the Hyundai Motor Company. They have had a steady increase in their brand value and have made their way into the top 100 global brands list in 2012. This year, the brand managed to enter the top 69 list of the global brands.
Since 2005, Kia has worked towards building their company reputation through their slogan; “The Power to Surprise”. Their efforts are focused towards innovation in product development, communication, sales, services, and other customer-related activities.
The 2018 Kia Stinger, as seen in the Steven Tyler Big Game advertisement, is Kia’s newest model and its’ first sports sedan. It is a midsize sports four-door that has a fastback roofline and a large hatch. There is a standard rear-wheel drive while the all-wheel drive is optional. It’s exterior design was actually inspired by the GT Concept that first debuted at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show. The Stinger starts at $32,800, or $39,250 for the GT version.
Creative Brief:
Objective
To raise awareness about the new Stinger automobile and lure viewers to purchase the car.
Target Audience
The target audience for the 2018 KIA Stinger are mostly men in their 30s to 90s with a stable income and/or savings. They also appreciate and have the love for sports cars, and want to feel youthful again. They are a group of people who are physically active, competitive and are well aware of the newest technologies in the automobile industry.
The Promise or the Key Selling Point
Kia will show you the power to surprise with dynamic and exciting experiences that go beyond your expectations. The 2018 Kia Stinger has 365 horsepower that will make consumers feel young again.
The Supporting Selling Points
The ground-breaking model packs 365 hp and 376 lb-ft from its 3.3-liter twin-turbo V-6. The back drive of Kia Stinger GT hits 60 mph in 4.8 seconds and running the quarter-mile in 13.3 seconds at 106.9 mph. Stinger is offered with two motors including a 2.0-liter turbo-four appraised at 255 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque, and a 3.3-liter twin-turbo V-6 with 365 hp and 376 lb-ft. The two motors are combined solely to an eight-speed programmed transmission.
Accessible highlights incorporate LED headlights, Kia’s UVO infotainment framework, cowhide upholstery, a head-up presentation, a Harman/Kardon premium sound framework, blind side cautioning, and a multi-data show between the gauges. Rear drive models comes with a mechanical constrained slip differential, while all-wheel-drive-prepared autos have torque vectoring control. The Stinger is likewise the first Kia to highlight a versatile suspension framework. Their accessible dynamic security highlights and incorporates versatile journey control, forward impact cautioning, lane keeping assistance, raise cross-traffic alerting, and driver attention assistance.
Creative Strategy
Kia is energized and fueled by youth. They are the youngest standard automaker in the U.S. Additionally, they are unhampered by history and convention. They do things that appear to be out of the domain of probability to a few people since they are not under obligation to any long-standing history or feeling of convention that they need to satisfy. This opens up KIA’s versatility in advertising.
Kia uses the process of backmasking, celebrities and the theme of the sport, Formula One to appeal to its target audience. These are all exciting approaches to complement one another to create an advertisement that is memorable to viewers. With its backmasking, it ensures that it captivates viewers attention pre-super bowl and post-super bowl.
Applicable Theories, Models and Concepts:
Semiotics and Intertextuality
Steven Tyler was chosen as the personality associated with the product. He has an ageless, audacious spirit and is a challenger brand himself. He signifies the ideal image of youthful vigor, style and timeliness. These traits are the brand’s vision for the product personality as well. As Steven Tyler leaves his trailer (a trailer allows easy accessibility and has a trait of being able to be parked almost anywhere), it indicates and signifies that the process that he is about to undergo can occur anywhere and anytime.
When Tyler drives in reverse, the concept signifies going back in time. Additionally, when he comes to a halt and his face from 1973 is shown, it signifies how driving KIA Stinger makes one feel youthful again. The process of having fans trying to reach out to him as he gets out of the car signifies the peak of youthfulness, when he was highly recognised and popular. All in all the video signifies a promise of an experience of youthfulness that one would never forget.
Advertising Tactics, Message Appeals and Execution Styles
They used the method of storytelling while featuring two celebrities. The first being Steven Tyler, Aerosmith’s front man and second being Formula One Champion, Emerson Fittipaldi. Steven Tyler, uses the Stinger as a time machine to return back to the 1970s while the band’s song “Dream On” plays in the background.
Tyler sits inside the Stinger GT and presses the start button which breathes life into the biturbo 3.3-liter V6. Returning in time requires putting the car into reverse mode and speeding in reverse around a relinquished track. When he grinds to a halt and reemerges as his 25 year old self. The course currently has a horde of individuals trying to back through a human policeman barricade trying to meet Tyler. Similarly as with most time travel stories, Tyler in the long run needs to return to the present, so Kia ensures that the advertisement works in reverse as well. As you watch the video backwards, viewers would notice a fascinating shrouded detail in the clip’s soundtrack. It’s a perfect touch that would be difficult to understand without the organization providing the backwards version of the video.
The creativity of the advertisement that demonstrates Tyler making a trip back to the ’70s strengthens that cutting edge innovation and classic rock which is a decent match. The general message bolsters Kia’s situating for its new Stinger car, or, in other words brand can drive the business forward in spite of the brand not being around as long as other established car brands.
The secret message behind this advertisement is, “If you don’t wanna get stung, better get Stinger.”
Advertising Creativity: Divergence (discuss any three from the dimensions below)
Originality
Kia additionally incorporated a surprise in the spot to compel individuals to connect with the brand by means of online networking. Enlivened by the incredible utilization of “backmasking,” a term for concealing mystery messages in ’70s classic rock tune, Tyler incorporated his very own message in the spot. Individuals who watch it on YouTube can hear something jumbled yet will just make out the real message when watching the spot backward, which was soon after given on Kia’s channel. Purchasers were welcomed to tweet the concealed message on Twitter.
While everybody was attempting to one-up one another pre-super bowl, they aimed to keep their viewers’ attention post-Super Bowl. Or in other words, included a cool social initiation segment to connect them with the brand after the game.
Flexibility
This advertisement was able to link a product to a range of different uses or ideas. With the new and improved functions of the car, the advertisement was able to portray the speed of the car, even in backdrive. The use of Steven Tyler was a clever tactic and customers can relate to him as he is a well known celebrity who has been around since the 70s. Steven Tyler is seen getting into a car and driving on backdrive. He then comes out of the car looking like his younger self.
There is also a clip of fans screaming as the KIA Stinger came to a halt and Steven Tyler got out of it. This could be a double play as the ‘fans’ could be thrilled and cheering because of the amazing functions of the car and also because of their love for Steven Tyler. This way, KIA manages to capture both the attention of fans and also illustrate the new and improved version of their car.
Artistic Value
KIA’s 2018 Stinger advertisement with Steven Tyler has an artistic value in it. It’s visuals are intriguing, and the choice of music is also cleverly chosen and incorporated. Their idea of this advertisement came to life graphically when a younger version of Steven Tyler stepped out from the vehicle at the end of the video, after the car was driven in backwards.
The song Dream On was by Aerosmith from their 1973 debut album, Aerosmith. It was written by their lead singer Steven Tyler and it was their first major hit. It also became a classic rock radio staple, which contributes to how memorable this song is to many. On the comment section of the YouTube ad, people even said that the advertisement is powerful, legendary and that it ‘gave them the chills’. The concept of the race track, Steven Tyler, and the music impacted the audience enough that they would be able to associate the advertisement and KIA in the future.
Cognitive Response Approach
After being exposed to KIA’s advertisement, viewers are more likely to experience some thoughts and impressions about the product. KIA’s 2018 Stinger advertisement evokes a nostalgic emotion because of the celebrity and music that they have used in the video. As Steven Tyler and the song was a hit in the 70s, it brings viewers back to the olden days. This will also make users feel youthful again as they reminisce about how it was in the past.
KIA not only portrays the idea of going back to the past by their choice of celebrity and the music, but also by the way the car moves. In the advertisement, the car was driven backwards, showing its quick acceleration even when it comes to backdriving. Viewers would be able to infer the performance of the car through this advertisement, where they would then search up on the product to find out about its other specifications.
KIA’s clever use of the race track and also Formula One’s Champion, Emerson Fittipaldi, further illustrates the functions of the car. Most men love Formula One and fast moving cars so this advertisement would entice them on this brand and the product specifically.
The advertisement creates awareness about the product and evokes curiosity because of the way it is shot and the storyline. There is a hidden message in the video so viewers would naturally go to their websites to find out more about it.
Associating the brand with celebrities and the formula one helps them to increase their viewership and this also helps people to recognize the type of image that they portray. People get more emotional and attached when it comes to nostalgia so KIA’s take on this advertisement might help to influence people to purchase their products because of their memories.