Hyundai and Kia, sister companies in the Hyundai Motor Group and co FIFA sponsors, invited fans around the world to immerse themselves in the World Cup as active participants.
Finally after four years of anticipation, FIFA World Cup returned with more passion and joy. Read more to find out how #Kia celebrated the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ together with the fans!https://t.co/dVmqDacPf4 pic.twitter.com/tfkFM2L8Iv
— Kia Motors Global (@Kia_Motors) July 23, 2018
Between the two auto brands there were multiple facets to the parent company’s Russia 2018 activation programme: including Hyundai’s ‘Be There’ bus slogan competition, ‘Cheering Stadium by Fans’ and its ‘World Football Heritage Exhibition’, plus Kia’s ‘Match Ball Carrier Programme’, ‘Get Into The Game’ and its ‘Lucky Drive to Russia’ and ‘Champ Into The Arena’ initiatives.
Hyundai/Kia provided the tournament with a huge (530-strong) vehicle fleet – including the team buses which were the focal point of the auto group’s ‘Be There With Hyundai’ campaign.
This marketing promotion, mirroring the brand’s Brazil 2014 World Cup activation, revolved around a fan competition to come up with a team slogan for the side of their coach for all 32 competing nations.
Between December 2017 and February 2018, fans around the world submitted slogans and then voted for their favorites at the brand’s bespoke tournament microsite at www.worldcup.hyundai.com.
The winning slogans were then emblazoned on the prime real estate that is the side of each of the national team buses and their authors were offered a seat aboard an official Hyundai convoy vehicle accompanying the team bus convoy, plus a ticket to watch their own their team play in a World Cup match.
Some of the winning entries included German’s ‘Zusammen. Geschichte Schreiben (Make History Together), England’s ‘Send Us Victorious’, Russia’s ‘Play With An Open Heart’,
Spain’s ‘Together We Are Invincible’
Colombia’s ‘1 Dream, 3 Colours And 50 Million Hearts’,
and Tunisia’s ‘Here Come The Eagles: Hand-In-Hand Players And Fans’.
The brand activated around the winning entries across its digital and social platforms.
Hyundai was also one of several sponsors to have its own Russia 2018 World Cup anthem – recorded by Maroon 5 and promoted via an integrated campaign.
Other strands of Hyunda’s activation included the ‘World Football Heritage Exhibition’ – where fans can submit their country’s cheering culture.
The winning country will be the one whose fans submit the most cheers. Each country’s chant will ‘compete’ on the day their respective teams play.
Selected culture concepts will be featured in Hyundai Motorstudio Moscow and at the FIFA World Football Museum (which the car company is a title partner of) in June and July.
At the end of May, Hyundai FIFA representatives and celebrated former players were to be given vehicles for their personal use at an event in the Luzhniki Football Stadium in Moscow.
Fans can also submit voice chants as part of the ‘Hyundai Cheering Stadium By Fans’ to be combined into one huge cheer.
A further thread of the activation programme, ‘Hyundai World Football Heritage’, featured football icons from previous World Cups discuss their favourite memories and World Cup culture via a video content series: including spots with Podolsk,
Cafu,
and Thierry Henry.
While yet another strand saw Kia run a series of FIFA Legend Talk Show featuring the likes of David Trezeguet,
Peter Schmeichel,
and Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Kia’s activation ran under the umbrella tagline ‘Get Into The Game’ and, in addition to its global advertising work which featured specific models in various markets,
and its digital and social content such as celebrating and showcasing ‘Legendary Celebrations’
and the Celebration Of The day (in harness with Goal) through the tournament,
and socially responding to on pitch events and key matches
#BEL vs #ENG
Which colors will you sport?#GetIntoTheGame with #Kia.
Show your support! pic.twitter.com/FjpOW04bgg— Kia Motors Global (@Kia_Motors) July 14, 2018
#FRA vs #CRO
Which colors will you sport?#GetIntoTheGame with #Kia.
Show your support! pic.twitter.com/nlKj4iTkL8— Kia Motors Global (@Kia_Motors) July 15, 2018
and congratulating the winners,
A historic summer for #France!
It’s time to #CelebrateTogether#LesBleus #WorldCup #GetIntoTheGame pic.twitter.com/NxGmErPTjg— Kia Motors Global (@Kia_Motors) July 16, 2018
the core strand of Kia activation saw it select 64 children from 28 countries to be the Official Match Ball Carrier to make the handoff with referees during the pregame ceremonies and Kia also released a short promotional video.
Watch the first proud Indian, Nathania, who stepped on FIFA World Cup ground.
Her dreams came true with a once in a lifetime experience as #KiaOMBC
Your child could be the next. #GetIntoTheGame with Kia pic.twitter.com/m9jLs6nOZd— Kia Motors Global (@Kia_Motors) July 22, 2018
Soccer enthusiasts are also invited to enter the Kia ‘Lucky Drive to Russia’, a competition to win a trip to Russia and a chance to watch a match.
A tactic the brand has applied to some of its other sports sponsorships – such as The Australian Open.
The South Korean carmakers also organised a March 2018 brand-backed five-a-side tournament called the ‘Kia Champ Into The Arena’.
This saw 16 teams from 16 countries compete in regional and national finals for a chance to play in Moscow on 30 June and then watch a Round of 16 game.
Check out the great passion shown at #KiaChamp with Cesc Fabregas. Representing your country, competing against the best, and becoming the champ. This is how we #GetIntoTheGame with #Kia.
Learn more: https://t.co/m9YCxd1Lng pic.twitter.com/GaOKADToqX— Kia Motors Global (@Kia_Motors) July 20, 2018
This soccer marketing strand, which aims to tap in to obsessive fandom and participation and playing, mirrored a similar activation from the auto brand’s Brazil 2014 activation.
“Soccer fans are more than just supporters of the game. They are diehard, loyal fanatics for their teams and countries,” says Jim Trainor, director of communications at Hyundai Motor America.
“As the industry leader in customer loyalty, Hyundai knows a thing or two about passion. We love how soccer brings people together, causes emotions to rise, and provides fans with unexpected moments. We like putting Hyundai in the middle of all this,” explains Trainor.
Hyundai and Kia both focused on messages targeting to World Cup fanatics globally: encouraging and supporting them to chant,, support, represent their nations and show of their skills.
Comment:
Sure, it’s two different auto brands, but the sheer breadth of this twin track activation programme left us breathless and also a little confused.
Some of the work is great, other strands seem less successful, but overall we are left with a sense of confusion due to the vast number of different campaign threads.
Perhaps in Qatar Hyundai/Kia might think about the old adage that ‘less is more’.
As well as its global activation programme, both Hyundai and Kia ran a set of market specific, local country campaigns activating around Russia 2018.
These included Hyundai’s ‘Save My Game’ in India (see case study), Caravan in Spain (see case study), as well as both ‘Have A Fling With Football (see case study) and ‘Letters’ in Australia (see case study), plus Kia’s ‘Two Little Feet in India (see case study).
Hyundai/Kia’s 2018 work builds upon their 2014 Brazil World Cup activation which included the former’s ‘The Glorious Journey’ campaign (see case study) and #BecauseFutbol (see case study) and the previous iteration of the bus slogan activation (see our ‘Brazil 2014 World Cup Marketing Review’).
The company’s major tournament partnership strategy began back in 1999 when Hyundai/Kia signed on as the official automotive partner of UEFA and at Russia 2018 it linked the two major football tie-ups.
Everyone who got into the game was a winner!
A heart-pounding journey in Russia comes to an end,
but #Kia’s passion for football never ends. #UEL #EuropaLeague pic.twitter.com/lQdKnJ7qD5— Kia Motors Global (@Kia_Motors) July 16, 2018
Euro 2000 was the first blockbuster tournament for the auto brand activated around.
Then, 2002, Hyundai signed on as an official FIFA partner with sister company Kia joining the tie up in 2006 continuing in this role through the Euro 2016 tournament via Hyundai’s Real Fans First’ activation (see case study) and Kia ‘Carrier Your Dreams: Official Match Ball Carrier’ initiative (see case study).
Links:
Hyundai
https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en
https://www.youtube.com/user/hyundaiworldwide
https://www.facebook.com/Hyundaiworldwide
https://twitter.com/hyundai_global
https://www.instagram.com/hyundai_worldwide/
Kia
https://twitter.com/Kia_Motors
https://www.facebook.com/Kiamotorsworldwide
https://www.instagram.com/kiamotorsworldwide/
