Kia has been the NBA’s automotive sponsor since 2008. Kia assumed the role of the official sponsor from Toyota who had that role since 2005. Kia spent $2.5 million on NBA telecasts while Toyota invested $5.47 million according to Nielsen Co. in 2009. Kia is also a long standing partner of ESPN having sponsored ‘NBA Shoot Around’, the pregame show since 2003. In 2009 they sold 325,000 cars which was a 9.8 percent increase in a bad year for automakers. In 2010 Kia sold 356,268 vehicles to U.S. consumers. That was a record for the automaker and it beat out Mazda, Volkswagen and Subaru. Kia sales since 2008 have increased 78 percent and the Kia’s exceptional growth is the direct result of expanded brand visibility thought their high profile partnerships. It includes both on and off the court in the NBA.
The NBA extended its partnership with Kia last season for two years which would end after this season. Part of that deal was that the Kia will be the official automotive partner of the NBA All-Star weekend events and NBA Cares charities. Kia will also sponsor the MVP award of the All Star game. That deal also renames the awards at the end of season to the “Kia NBA Performance Awards”. The MVP Award, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man of the Year and Defensive Player of Year awards along with the Eastern and Western Conference players of the month have Kia’s name in it. Kia also sponsored the NBA’s ‘Opening Week Tipoff’. Kia donates a brand new vehicle to a charity of the player’s choice on behalf of the four season ending award winners. For the 2010-2011season Kia had two television specials on ESPN as well as a 30 second TV commercial, a print ad, online spots, social media, and a court sign for its season opener campaign. Kia and the NBA try to make their fan base as diverse as can be with 43 percent of them termed multicultural: African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. The big increase of Asians fans in the NBA was due to Yao Ming of course, the former center from China who played for the Houston Rockets. Kia also has sponsored a clock on NBA.com for countdowns till the season and playoffs, etc.
For the draft leading up to this season Kia decided to get together with the NBA on this also being the official partner of 2011 NBA Draft. The draft was held was at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on June 23rd and was televised by ESPN. Coverage was on NBA TV and NBA.com. Kia also did two NBA Cares Community Caravan events, one in Newark and the other in New York City before the draft. During the draft they had two vehicle displays outside featuring co-branded signage and brand ambassadors. One of them hosted an appearance of an NBA legend prior to the draft. Kia also had a green screen photo area for fans to take virtual pictures of draft picks on the official NBA Draft stage. In the agreement for sponsoring the Draft, Kia received a lot of commercial time during the draft telecast on ESPN, NBA TV, and NBA.com.
It also received time during the preview show, the review post show and select behind the scenes segments on NBA TV. On NBA.com, Kia presented the “Kia NBA Drive to the Draft” which included the NBA Draft Prospect Index and profile pages of the 160 draft prospects along with David Aldridge’s Big Board. The automaker also had the “Virtual Green Room” which had behind the scenes footage, draftee video journals, and exclusive interviews with the draftees and blogs written by NBA.com editors. A part of the similarities that Kia and the NBA share is their commitment to the community. Those NBA Cares Caravan events mentioned before include a basketball clinic with Special Olympics and a NBA FIT clinic at the boys and girls club. The top 15 draft prospects along with NBA legends participated through a variety of basketball and fitness activities with the kids.
Kia currently has a presence with 13 NBA teams. It recently added the Golden State Warriors the team of the Bay Cities, Oakland and San Francisco. It did renew their deals with: Boston, Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Denver, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Miami, and San Antonio. Those teams in those cities in order are: The Celtics, the Bulls, the Knicks, the Cavaliers, the Nuggets, the 76ers, the Suns, the Heat and the Spurs. They also still have deals with the Los Angeles Clippers, Orland Magic and Portland Trail Blazers. The Bulls, Nuggets, Warriors, and Clippers, list Kia as their Official Vehicle. While the Heat have it as their Official Vehicle and Exclusive Vehicle, while the Knicks have it as the Official Automotive Partner and Official Vehicle. The Cavaliers, 76ers, Suns, and Trail Blazers have it as their proud partner. The Spurs call it the Official Partner, while the Celtics have it as the Official Automotive Partner and Official Partner also. On a side note Kia has partnerships with Women’s Professional Golf and Motorsports. Also, it’s the Official Automotive Partner of LPGA, the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, and the Pirelli World Challenge in 2012.
In 2011 Kia recorded its 17th consecutive year of market share growth in large part to the increase of any major brand in perceived quality and the industry’s highest brand loyalty ranking. Kia’s U.S. based manufacturing facility in West Point, Georgia is responsible for the creation of 10,000 plants and supplier jobs and builds the company’s two best selling vehicles in the US: the Sorrento CUV, and Optima midsize sedan.
In January the Cleveland Cavaliers announced their renewal of their marketing partnership with Kia Motors Americas. Some of the elements of the partnership include community outreach programs like the Cavaliers Surprise Gas Giveaway. Kia donated thousands of gallons of gas to hundreds of unsuspecting Northeast Ohioans over the past four years. The community relations imitative targeted economically challenged areas of the community. They have had a partnership for five years so far and Kia will continue to maintain a vehicle promotional display on the main level concourse of Quicken Loans Arena with branded seat covers for courtside home team benches. The deal also includes in arena exposure including in game DLP courtside rotational signage for each home game, 360 degree inner bowl fascia, and animated graphics on Q-tube. Kia will continue to receive in game broadcast spots on the team’s flagship radio station, WTAM 1100 AM. Finally, a digital media exposure which includes naming Kia as the presenter of the team’s weekly fan poll and impression campaign positioning on Cavs.com.
The Chicago Bulls on February 6th announced a four year extension with Kia Motors America to be its Official Vehicle through the 2014-15 seasons. Kia will continue to have two indoor Optima Sedan displays on United Center’s 100 level concourses at Bulls home games and will also serve as the participating sponsor for Latin Night on Monday March 12th, and sponsor future community events this season. They have been in partnership for the past six seasons.
There is a Kia Terrace at Amway Center in Orlando. A red-and-white Kia-themed area is in the middle level bowl and can be used by Kia dealers to entertain customers during events. A 2011 Optima is on display having been lifted by crane to its perch. Kia has a few promotions with the Cavaliers this year: Kia Predict and Win and Kia Test Drive for Tickets. With the Predict you can win a pair of lower level tickets to a game but you have to make predictions on the final score, opponent’s final score, the difference and the Cavaliers player that will lead the team in rebounding in that game. The fan that has the most number of accurate predictions for the game will win. The Test Drive is when you mention this offer, test drive any new 2011 or 2012 Kia vehicle at a dealer in northern Ohio and get a voucher for two tickets to an upcoming game.
The Heat renewed their deal with Kia in January making Kia the Official and Exclusive Vehicle of the Miami HEAT. In that deal Kia gets advertising on radio, in print and on Heat.com, in arena signage, as well as a Kia car display on the main concourse of American Airlines Arena. Promotions Kia has done with the Heat have been: Kia Test drive for Tickets and Kia Drive for Five where over 15,000 tickets were distributed to consumers in South Florida for both the last five years. Also Heat Ultimate Flyaway Trip, giving lucky Heat fans the chance to experience Heat road games in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Boston. Along with: The in Arena Kia Performance Challenge which is where fans can win a Kia vehicle by making a half court shot. Heat Players and Heat Dancers have appeared at Kia dealers across South Florida, and Kia brought the Heat Experience to non Heat events as the Calle Ohco Festival and South Florida International Auto show. At every home game the Kia Seat Upgrade provides fan sitting in the Upper Level a chance to sit in the first row of the Lower Bowl for a truly unforgettable experience. Kia will also expand its involvement with Heat community outreach efforts as well in Heat programming on 790 the Ticket, the team’s flagship radio station.
In last year’s Slam Dunk Contest at All Star weekend Blake Griffin, power forward of the Clippers, dunked over a Kia Optima to win the contest. Kia has signed him to be their NBA spokesman. Since then there have been a series of commercials where he is performing stunts or talking about features the car has, as well as one replaying his famous dunk. The Kia Optima he dunked over was donated to charity in an auction. The money went to Stand Up to Cancer in Tribute to Blake’s friend who died of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Kia’s slogan in the commercials is: “Not your average dunk. Not your average midsize sedan.” The next slogan was: “The Kia Optima is not your average midsize sedan and Blake Griffin is not your average spokesperson or athlete”.