Kia Motors America Inc. is continuing its sponsorship of the Vans Warped Tour, now in its 20th year of showcasing some 30 punk and indie rock bands from across the country. The tour kicked off June 13 in Houston and will wrap up Aug. 3 in Denver.
“Every summer we look forward to sharing the energy and spirit of live music with fans across the country,” Tim Chaney, Kia’s vice president of marketing, said in a news release. “The [tour] promises fun and a sense of individuality that perfectly aligns with the standout styling that makes vehicles like the Soul and Forte5 appeal to both the young and the young-at-heart.”
The Irvine automaker, in its seventh year as the official sponsor, is maintaining a noticeable presence throughout the tour, according to the company.
One of two main stages is dubbed the Kia Soul Stage, where artists such as Less than Jake, Yellowcard, The Devil Wears Prada, and several others are performing.
The Kia Soul Lounge, another feature of the tour, is “an interactive tent” where music fans can get band autographs, temporary tattoos, or listen to acoustic performances. There’s also a “Soul Selfie” photo booth where concertgoers have the chance to have their photos featured on Kia’s Vans Warped Tour microsite.
The tour is being put on by C.C.R.L. LLC, a subsidiary of Greensboro, N.C.-based V.F. Corp., which also owns Cypress-based Vans Inc.
Kia, World Cup
Kia is “harnessing the energy and passion” of the 2014 World Cup with the launch of a Spanish and English marketing campaign, “For One Month, Let’s All be Fútbol Fans,” featuring Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima.
The campaign was created by El Segundo-based David&Goliath and includes TV, print, digital, social media and radio components. Kia is also the presenting sponsor of prematch shows on ABC and ESPN.
The three, 30-second TV ads showcase Lima arriving in next year’s models of the Optima and Sorento and getting American football and Nascar racing fans excited about soccer, or as she puts it, “fútbol.”
“Soccer’s popularity in the U.S. is growing rapidly and as official automotive partner of the World Cup we have a unique platform to showcase two of Kia’s most popular vehicles to the sport’s passionate and diverse fan base across the country,” Michael Sprague, Kia’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, said in a news release. “The reaction to Adriana Lima’s appearance in ‘Drive the Dream’ was overwhelming, and with the World Cup being staged in her home country of Brazil and her love for the game it was a natural fit to partner again and add a bit of glamour and humor to our ‘fútbol’ campaign.”
Ubiquity Taps McGrath
Ubiquity Inc. in Irvine has hired McGrath/Power Public Relations and Communications in San Jose as its public relations agency of record. McGrath/Power will assist Ubiquity with internal and external communications, including branding all products and services.
The company, which is traded over the counter, has applied to move to the NASDAQ stock exchange, and has a market value of about $775 million.
“McGrath/Power is an excellent partner for us as we move on to NASDAQ and begin to introduce diverse new solutions to the market,” Ubiquity Chief Executive Chris Carmichael said in a news release. “The agency understands the dynamic nature of our technology and the equally dynamic nature of the convergence of trends that power our market.”
The agency, a partner of Worldcom Public Relations Group, has helped promote the launch of companies such as Cisco, Citrix, LiveOps, TiVo, RSA and Vodafone.
Ubiquity, a technology-focused media company, holds patents for products such as Sprocket, a smartphone interface that provides Internet access and mobile services, such as Facebook and Netflix, without the need to launch separate applications.
