Dive Brief:

• Kia launched a national campaign for the new 2019 Kia Forte featuring professional race car driver Collette Davis and a partnership with Red Bull to build a custom, not-for-sale drift car, the company announced via a news release.
• The campaign, created by David&Goliath, includes three 30-second spots: “Forte vs. Forte,” “Chicken” and “Smoke Machine.” In “Forte vs. Forte,” the first spot, the Forte drift car is shown alongside the production model Forte, with the latter driven by Davis. As she speeds up along the track, she takes her car airborne and flies over the drift car. After landing the vehicle, she says, “It doesn’t have to make sense.” A long-form video, filmed using seven cameras, details Davis’ jump from inside and outside the car. 
• Kia and Red Bull are also creating a three-part YouTube series hosted by Davis and featuring the Red Bull Driftbrothers Joe and Elias Hountondji that documents building and testing the car. 

Dive Insight:

The action-focused campaign featuring race cars is part of Kia’s overall marketing strategy to transform the brand’s image of being low-value and sensible to one that is more exciting and appeals to younger consumers. 

Auto brands are having to work extra hard to reach younger consumers as millennials haven’t embraced car ownership as heartily as older generations, and Gen Z has paid little attention to auto brands, instead preferring ride-sharing services and “walkable” locations. Kia’s campaign is designed to help the brand attract younger consumers by focusing on a daredevil stunt, documenting it on digital video and partnering with Red Bull. 

“Kia is fueled by youth and working with Red Bull is a mirror reflection of our youthful attitude and together we are going to showcase the new Forte in never-before-seen ways that are sure to capture attention,” said Saad Chehab, vice president of marketing communications at Kia Motors America, in a statement. 

By including several 30-second spots, longer-form video and a YouTube series, the campaign showcases how marketers continue to leverage a variety of video lengths and formats to highlight their brands’ unique features and reach consumers across different channels. Seventy-eight percent of marketers plan to invest more in the production of video ads this year, according to recent Clinch research.