Two of Orange County’s top automakers—Kia Motors America and Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc.—are seeking to boost sales in the Latino market with new ad campaigns.
Irvine-based Kia tapped the Grammy-winning all-female mariachi band Flor De Toloache to help promote its 2019 Kia Forte sedan.
The collaboration includes a new song composed with Kia that was released on Spotify this month.
The campaign shows the band traveling across the U.S. to surprise three Latina entrepreneurs with a special performance of its latest song “Indestructible,” which celebrates modern-day Latinas. The entrepreneurs are each presented with a new laptop.
Kia worked with Dallas-based Inspire Agency on the campaign, which was directed by Sophy Holland. The digital work, which includes video posts, will be shared in a sequence on Kia Latino’s social media channels.
Mitsubishi in Cypress is also feeling the rhythm. The automaker rolled out the “United by Rhythm” campaign to promote its 2019 lineup of crossover utility vehicles: the Eclipse Cross, Outlander and Outlander Sport.
The spots, which feature the classic song “Piel Canela” by Puerto Rican singer Bobby Capó, show drivers singing along to the song with their friends, family and pets in tow.
It will run across Spanish-language television and radio stations, including sports and daytime shows, as well as digital and social media channels.
Mitsubishi said its Hispanic TV investment has more than doubled since 2014, with spots on major networks, such as Univision and Telemundo.
You Say Tomato
Through subsidiary Bejo Seeds Inc., Netherlands-based firm Bejo Zaden B.V., one of the world’s largest developers of vegetable seeds, has partnered with food industry executives Christopher Lindley and Jose Marrero to form marketing agency Flavorful Brands LLC.
The Mission Viejo-based firm will market and help expand distribution of produce grown from Bejo-owned seeds.
Flavorful, formed this year, announced its first project last month to market the Tasti-Lee tomato brand through in-store events and traditional marketing efforts, such as TV, radio and online. It also tapped Livermore-based The Produce Exchange Inc. to expand its distribution in 13 Western states, including California and Colorado.
Flavorful Chief Executive Lindley said the tomato brand started in 2010 when it was introduced to East Coast consumers.
“Bejo has the right to grow that seed and distribute it worldwide, and they did a good job of launching it, [but] they’re not a produce company or a marketing company,” he said. “Our goal is to expand it nationally.”
Chief Marketing Officer Marrero said it took 10 years to develop the tomato variety, which boasts a deep red color throughout and a more flavorful taste than typical tomatoes. It’s currently in only about 25% of the country’s retail grocery stores, predominantly on the East Coast.
“It needed some business attention and focus to expand it across the country and bring it to all consumers,” Marrero said. “People assume that a tomato is a tomato, and in fact, it’s not.”
Flavorful plans to help market additional products, such as onions, kohlrabi and cabbages. It’s in talks with other seed companies to help market and distribute their products, according to Marrero.
“One of the advantages of partnering with a seed company—and I believe we might be unique in the produce industry—is they have over 1,000 very interesting varietals that we have the right to bring to market. So having Bejo as a partner is absolutely critical, and we have a long pipeline to explore.”
Bits & Pieces
Costa Mesa-based ad agency DB&M Media Inc. hired Shannon Walthers this month as marketing coordinator and Chuck Uber as senior graphic designer. … Consumer research firm J.D. Power in Costa Mesa added client Westwood One to its Nielsen Auto Cloud, a marketing and measurement platform launched this past summer that combines audience data from Nielsen and J.D. Power’s car-buying intelligence. Westwood One President Suzanne Grimes said in a statement that it “can now match AM/FM radio, streaming, and podcast audience insights from our weekly audience of a quarter of a billion listeners with J.D. Power’s car shopping and auto ownership data. We can create a powerful roadmap for tier one auto to reach the right consumer.” … Tequila Comisario, owned by Anaheim-based spirit and wine distributor Elite Beverage International Inc., launched its first major national marketing campaign. The small-batch tequila brand kicked off the effort three weeks ago when it was named exclusive sponsor of the KISS Kruise event. It will follow up with celebrity and influencer partnerships, tasting events, wholesaler education, digital media and social media efforts.
