Irvine-based Kia Motors America Inc. is in its seventh season as the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA.
The automaker on Feb. 16 was prominently featured during the 2014 NBA All-Star Game Presented by Kia. The L.A. Clippers’ Blake Griffin, Kia’s brand ambassador, played for the Western Conference team.
The game was the culmination of recent promotions the athlete and Kia partnered on.
Griffin stars in a series of eight 2014 Kia Optima ads. The latest, a 30-second TV spot titled “Owner’s Manual,” shows him as a super hero with his sidekick, Jack McBrayer, reading the car owner’s manual and admiring Optima’s features while an elderly intern with an extra-short cape brings them milk and cookies in hopes of earning a regular-sized cape.
The same capes were given away to attendees of the Clippers’ Feb. 5 match against the Miami Heat at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
“We’re big fans of basketball at Kia, and Blake Griffin has become an important part of building awareness and consideration for our growing brand,” Tim Chaney, Kia’s vice president of marketing, said in a news release. “Amplifying our Optima advertising campaign with Cape Night allows us (to) engage fans in a fun way, leverage social media channels—and cheer on Blake and the team as they continue their successful season.”
Vetted Ad Buys
Irvine-based Specific Media LLC launched an automated ad exchange that promises to address media-buying inefficiencies.
The online advertising technology company, better known for its 2011 purchase of social network Myspace, said its “Programmatic from Specific Media” platform enables real-time bidding on advertising inventory—but with a twist.
Programmatic is powered by Adtricity, an ad measurement tool that evaluates the quality of online ad placements and publishers. It assigns them letter grades, similar to how the Orange County Health Care Agency inspects local restaurants and grades them.
Adtricity, developed by Specific Media subsidiary Vindico, looks at criteria such as opportunity for the ad to be seen; page content; execution and delivery of the ads; and the quality of the site’s traffic.
“Prime Quality” ad placements are assigned an “A” and compared to “TV-like” advertising—high-impact, with exceptional execution. “Poor Quality” placements are on the other end of Adtricity’s spectrum and get an “F.”
Online advertisers can use the ratings as a guide during real-time bidding in the ad exchange.
“It is more critical than ever for advertisers to closely manage their investments, ensuring their messages are effective and reach the intended audiences on the right medium,” Jill Botway, the company’s global executive vice president of sales and marketing, said in a news release. “Now we can provide our customers with the ability to buy quality rated inventory at scale, with guaranteed viewability.”
Specific Media is a privately held company that doesn’t report its revenue figures.
Blue Ribbon Ads
Kelley Blue Book Co.’s name keeps popping up in Honda Motor Co.’s national advertising campaign, and it hasn’t paid a dime for the ads.
The 87-year-old Irvine-based automotive information company is featured in “Paul’s Civic” and “Mia’s new CR-V,” 30-second TV spots that promote the Japanese carmaker as Kelley Blue Book’s most trusted car brand.
The ads were created by Honda’s creative agency, RPA in Santa Monica.
“A lot of automakers end up using us,” said Chintan Talati, the company’s senior director of public relations. “I think there is also a Toyota ad out there right now about best resale value. It feels great. It talks about the strength of our brand and how consumers react to the awards that we put out.”
Bits and Pieces
Irvine-based Mazda North American Operations recently said it is donating $2.7 million collected during its Drive for Good holiday promotion, and its employees and dealers across the nation will donate 56,435 charitable service hours. … Mona Sharif joined Incredible Marketing in Irvine as its social media specialist, a new position. … Fullerton-based Yokohama Tire Corp. signed a multiyear agreement with the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail to be the title sponsor of the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic in Prattville, Ala., according to Yokohama.
