How Kia integrated brand and performance for a 171% lift in sales

Kia’s EV9 campaign shows what’s possible when real-time data meets creative. As highlighted in this excerpt from The advertisers guide to brand & performance, it’s a powerful example of how brands can drive both awareness and action. 

The evolution of technology and data has enabled marketers to build smarter and more relevant campaigns. With the right approach, brands can connect with consumers and influence action at key moments in the purchase journey, creating personalized experiences in unexpected places.

A recent campaign for Kia's EV9 all-electric SUV demonstrates the untapped potential of situationally aware advertising. The programmatic campaign utilized EV charging stations with digital displays, featuring technology to identify the make and model of any automobile receiving a charge. Using this data, Kia designed a dynamic campaign with three tailored messages—evergreen creative when charging stations were idle, conquesting ads for non-Kia owners and loyalty messaging for Kia drivers.

Using real-time insights from first-party data, this AI-powered DOOH campaign significantly boosted awareness, consideration, purchase intent and actual car purchases. Additionally, it drove a notable increase in sales across Kia's entire electric vehicle lineup, indicating that EV9’s DOOH ads drove broader interest and purchases in Kia's offerings.

*Sources: F’inn Brand Lift Study; S&P (Polk) Sales Lift Study (run directly by Volta)

Key takeaways 

• By adopting a goals-first approach, teams can construct their advertising strategies on more solid ground
• Stay informed on emerging media capabilities and avoid categorizing channels with outdated assumptions
• Adopt a broader approach to personalization across media channels—personalization doesn’t only mean one-to-one targeting
• Consider peoples’ mindsets and positions at the different touchpoints along the path to purchase when building creative strategies

Looking for more insights on connecting branding efforts to conversions? Check out The advertiser’s guide to brand & performance: Four strategies for omnichannel success.