'Make Every Mile Count' New Kia Tag Line

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 23, 2002 -- Kia Motors America today announced the roll out of a new national brand campaign featuring the company's new tagline, "Make Every Mile Count." Created by davidandgoliath advertising of Los Angeles, the campaign includes four new TV spots, two of which will support the launch of the all-new 2003 Kia Sorento midsize SUV in October.

The new tagline and campaign will reflect Kia's updated positioning as a fun, affordable, safe alternative to the more expensive imports. The national roll-out will continue over several months and will encompass the full-line of Kia vehicles from the Rio and Rio Cinco sub-compacts to the Spectra sedan and hatchback, the Sedona minivan, the new 2003 Optima mid-size sedan and finally the all-new midsize Sorento SUV.

"We're very pleased with the direction of the new brand campaign," said Wally Anderson, Kia Motors America's vice president, marketing. "With the company growing so rapidly over the past few years, and with so many new additions to our product line, it was time for our brand positioning to be updated to reflect that growth and clearly point in the direction where the company is headed."

The new creative is designed to communicate Kia's updated positioning while continuing to highlight the company's industry-standard 10-year/100,000-mile warranty. The ads specifically emphasize the attributes of the warranty including 24-hour roadside assistance, which is unusual in vehicles in the entry-level segment of the market.

"The new tagline and positioning evolved from a simple understanding that cars are an integral part of every person's life," said Skip Sullivan, davidandgoliath's president and COO. "So our message communicates the idea that true value goes far beyond price and that there is an affordable, well-built Kia available to help you accomplish whatever you want."

Kia Motors America has been on a steady growth curve since the company launched in the U.S. in 1994 and in the last two years has added five new vehicles to its lineup. During the first six months of 2002, Kia led the industry in percentage sale increases versus the previous year. Through August, Kia sales were up 16.3 percent, versus the overall industry, which was up only 1.3 percent.

Kia kicked off its launch of the 2003 Kia Sorento by sponsoring an integrated promotional test-drive campaign orchestrated by davidandgoliath in conjunction with New Line Cinema and East/West Creative. Consumers were urged to visit their local Kia dealership and test drive any new Kia to receive a certificate for a free copy of New Line's Oscar-winning film, "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" on DVD or VHS. During the month of August consumers crowded Kia dealerships to pick up an unprecedented 95,000 certificates for the free videos, capitalizing on the publicity surrounding the blockbuster's home video release date.

"The upcoming launch of the all-new Sorento midsize SUV will showcase the new brand positioning and the tag line," Anderson said. "In addition to the test drive promotion we've implemented, the ads will help bring in a whole new type of customer into Kia dealerships."

davidandgoliath is a national full-service independent agency of hand-selected professionals with outstanding creative, media, marketing, account planning, account management, TV and print production capabilities as well as an outsourcing network of national and global resources. Founded in November 1999, davidandgoliath is headquartered in Los Angeles with a satellite office in New York City.

Kia Motors America is the U.S. sales, marketing and service arm of Kia Motors Corp. in Seoul, South Korea. For more information about Kia please visit www.kiamedia.com .