Here’s a little example of how people experience brands, and maybe it’s a little more advanced than the brands would give the audience credit for!

I’m 2 sets into what seems to be another epic encounter between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the Australian Open.

Less than 6 hours before that I was watching the Los Angeles Lakers edge the Los Angeles Clippers in a hard fought basketball encounter.

There’s an interesting brand link between both sporting events, but there’s no evidence that my experience is something that the brand I’m writing about actually engineered it to happen.

The brand is Kia Motors – please excuse the obvious Wikipedia link to save me explaining the company history.

The short story is that after bankruptcy in 1997, the company has making some very bold branding moves.

Their sponsorship/partnership with FIFA and UEFA since 2002 (the World Cup in Korea) is exactly what a newer brand needs to get into the global consciousness of most consumers. Like Samsung – Kia probably went from ‘”Who?” to “Yeah, I’ve heard of them..”

It’s been the same in the US, where Kia has a close relationship with the NBA.

Increased petrol prices, taxes, car prices, better and varied forms of transport means that if you are under 40 your car needs have changed.

Admit it, you’re either riding a bike or considering cars that you never dreamt about when you were a kid (and by that I mean smaller, less flashy automobiles):

Having a car (especially if you live in a city), is not the obvious choice it used to be!

Well, KIA have been pushing their Soul vehicle  is pretty much aimed at that younger demographic.

You’ve probably seen this;

Believe it or not, using ‘Party Rockers’ when it first came out was a smart move. It’s the previous attempt at being hip that sucked!

Great music choice, just a little too much stereotypical Hip Hopness for most sane people under the age of 40.
But still, give them credit for doing something to gatecrash our collective car consciousness.

So back to my story. Firstly, during the NBA game, I was treated to the Blake Griffin (to the uninitiated, he the latest NBA sensation playing for the Clippers) series of commercials for the Optima model that are hilarious!

A few hours later and I’m watching the tennis and I’m treated to much more bland brand marketing – Kia logos plastered all over the court and insipid advertising during the breaks;

The reason for my uneven brand experience is probably that, even though I experience Kia as one entity – I’m engaging more with Kia USA’s marketing than anything else.
Even so, it’s still a bit disappointing, only because I can’t be the only person who may be thinking the same thing!

It would be nice to see more brands/agencies think about issues like this a little more – it could only benefit them!

R