Kia Motors America Inc. just upped its chatbot game. The Irvine-based automaker partnered with CarLabs Inc., a marketing-tech and conversational commerce platform provider based in Calabasas, and its digital agency, Ansible in New York, to develop artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant Kian.
The follow-up to the company’s NiroBot can help with pricing, estimated payments, special offers, plus show photos and videos, compare vehicle models with competitors’ lineups, search inventory and find nearby dealers via Facebook Messenger and on Kia’s website. It can also answer “specific questions on hundreds of topics,” according to the automaker, “because it instantly analyzes millions of vehicle data points, aggregated and organized in a data stack that acts as Kian’s brain.”
“In our ever-changing digital world, Kian is programmed to understand individual customer needs and then provide shopping decision support instantly and intuitively,” Vice President of Marketing Communications Saad Chehab said in a statement. “Shoppers and Kia owners can chat with Kian on their own time, with no pressure and on the mobile messaging platform they use the most.”
Tactical Tales
Irvine-based 5.11 Tactical, an apparel and gear designer outfitting soldiers, firefighters and police officers, is now telling their stories.
It launched the Quiet Warrior this year in partnership with online news outlet PoliceOne, which “aims to spotlight the hidden side of law enforcement—the humble excellence that often goes unheralded.”
Those portrayed include Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Chet Parker, who helps homeless people obtain services to find housing; Police Officer Jonny Castro in Philadelphia, who has painted more than 80 portraits of officers killed in the line of duty; Virginia-based Detective Ryan Brady, who works with youth via Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s “Bigs in Blue” mentorship program; former airman David Sharpe, who started Companions For Heroes to connect military veterans fighting the symptoms of post traumatic stress syndrome with dogs that need homes; and Austin, Texas police department Officer Jason Borne, who, instead of citing a struggling single mom for pushing a stroller by the side of the highway, set up a GoFundMe page to help her get a reliable vehicle.
Compass Diversified Holdings in Westport, Conn., acquired 5.11 last year for $401.8 million. The apparel maker, which posted about $300 million in 2016 revenue, has 123 employees at its OC headquarters and 550 overall.
PR Shift
Genesis Motor America in Fountain Valley named Kevin Smith senior group manager of public relations and corporate social responsibility, a new position.
The automaker’s general manager, Erwin Raphael, said Smith, who previously worked at Lotus Cars USA Inc., Cadillac and Saab, has “a long track record of success in the automotive industry, advancing global brands, leading teams and introducing innovative communications programs that outperform expectations, making him the ideal choice to lead our external communications charge.”
Mazda North American Operations in Irvine, meanwhile, reported that Jay Amestoy, its long-serving vice president of public and government relations, died on Nov. 16 while being treated at the Mayo Clinic. Amestoy joined Mazda in 1991 as vice president of public relations, and retired in 2012.
Bits & Pieces
Hurley International LLC, a Costa Mesa-based subsidiary of Nike Inc., opened a 4,000-square-foot store at Pacific City shopping center in Huntington Beach.
