Sephia Ads Make a Lasting Impression

Advertiser: Kia Motors America

Agency: Goldberg Moser O’Neill, San Francisco

Challenge: Successfully argue that the inexpensive Kia Sephia sedan is also durable.

The Ads: One television spot shows a driver taking the Sephia on a 100,000-mile road trip, through mountain, city and desert terrain. A pink bunny tumbles from the luggage rack as the voice-over says, “After all the miles and all the coffee, we’re still going,” a play on Energizer Bunny ads. A second TV spot shows the Sephia going through its paces as a rental car in Hawaii, described in the ad as “paradise to tourists, hell to rental cars.” The car survives rainstorms, a ride through the surf and three children who use it as a trampoline. Both spots end with the slogan: “It’s about time everyone had a well-made car.”

Comment: As Kia expands to the East Coast, it needs to dispel the notion that cheap (the car is priced just under $10,000) means cheaply made. Financial woes faced by Kia’s Korean parent could add to consumers’ concerns. The ads make a strong argument for durability, an issue for Kia as it ranked dead last in J.D. Power’s 1997 quality survey of 38 car makes. Kia at the time acknowledged squeaks and quality problems but said those annoyances were easily fixed and not related to durability. Kia said that wind noise has been eliminated from the remodeled Sephia. $$$