Professional race car driver Collete Davis hits the gas in the latest spots for Kia Motor America.
The Irvine-based automaker released its latest marketing push for the 2019 Kia Forte, which began arriving in showrooms last month.
The car starts at around $17,700.
The ad campaign includes three 30-second television spots meant to show how the Forte has “transformed from a basic commuter into one of Kia’s best-selling vehicles.”
Through September, Kia sold about 75,000 Fortes, representing about 17% of total U.S. sales. Forte is the company’s fourth best-selling brand so far this year, trailing Sorento, Optima and Soul.
Forte sales are down about 18% year-over-year through September.
One spot, “Forte vs. Forte,” shows Davis speeding down a track, then driving up a ramp to soar above another Forte fashioned into a drift car covered in Red Bull’s logo.
Vice President of Marketing Communications Saad Chehab said in a statement that the campaign screams “look at me” and that the brand is “delivering an entirely new take on what many people see as a daily commuter car.”
Kia also collaborated with Red Bull to develop a three-part YouTube series hosted by Davis and Red Bull drivers Joe and Elias Hountondji. The video series shows how a specially designed Forte drift car was built and includes on-track testing.
There’s also a long video version showcasing Davis’ jump from inside and outside of the Forte.
Brainteaser
Costa Mesa-based marketing and public relations agency Idea Hall wants to recognize great ideas with its project, Brainchild.
The video series, which lives on its own website, brainchild.tv, goes behind the scenes to explore how entrepreneurs and creative leaders find their inspiration and execute ideas.
Chief Executive Rebecca Hall said the agency is committed to being an “engine for great ideas.”
“We’re excited to commemorate our 15th anniversary with the launch of a series that represents our passion as an agency and tells the stories behind some of the greatest ‘brainchildren’ in our community,” she said in a statement.
The first video features World of Dance founder David Gonzalez. The three-minute video produced by Idea Hall shows viewers how Gonzalez and his Fullerton-based company started a NBC reality dance-competition series and how it grew to one of the largest dance competitions, whose winner walks away with a $1 million prize.
It’s received more than 17,000 views on Facebook and reached more than 26,000 people, according to Hall.
Future episodes will feature Executive Producer and Oscar-nominated Don Hahn, whose credits include “The Lion King” and “Beauty and the Beast;” the founders of Culver City jewelry line Dogeared; and Santa Monica-based earthquake-warning system Early Warning Labs.
Envoy Convoy
Irvine-based marketing, consulting and advertising firm Envoy has rebranded itself after acquiring two firms.
The company is now known as Envoy Group after acquiring strategy and design studio Bulldog Drummond in San Diego and creative agency Leviathan in Chicago last month. Terms of both deals were undisclosed.
Envoy Group employs more than 100 people and will offer strategy, design and tech services to clients that include Vizio, Tender Greens, McDonald’s and Verizon.
President Kevin Bauer said the company isn’t going to operate like a traditional holding company.
“Our digital DNA and commitment to flexibility allow us to work beyond the rigid holding company structures of yesterday,” Bauer said in a statement. “We are able to think more like business consultancies and execute more like creative agencies.”
Bauer will lead the new company, while co-founders and brothers Ryan and Russell Rommelfanger will serve as co-executive creative directors. Michael Bennett will serve as managing director of Envoy Group.
Bulldog Drummond founder Shawn Parr will be chief strategy officer at Envoy Group, and Leviathan will continue to be led by founders Chad Huston and Jason White.
Bits & Pieces
Seal Beach-based swimwear label TYR Sport Inc. signed Olympic Gold Medalist and World Championship Medalist Jack Conger. Terms of the sponsorship deal were undisclosed. … Housing data firm Meyers Research in Costa Mesa added Catherine Patience as marketing communications strategist and Todd Ford as senior graphic designer to its newly created marketing team.
