Sponsorship Plays Key Role In Kia Motors' 'Glocalization' Strategy
Kia Motors has become a Global Gold Sponsor of the upcoming Copa America 2011 (or ‘Copa America Argentina 2011’). The sponsorship agreement was announced today by Tae-Hyun (Thomas) Oh, Senior Executive Vice President & COO of Kia Motors Corporation at a signing ceremony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“It is a great honor to be the partner of the world’s oldest and South America’s biggest football championship,” commented Mr. Oh. “We firmly believe that the signing of the agreement with CONMEBOL will be another milestone for Kia Motors to widen our presence as a worldwide football events partner and to increase our global brand awareness.”
The Copa America Argentina 2011 is scheduled to kick off on July 1st with the champion to be crowned on July 24th. Ten national teams from throughout South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) and 2 invited teams (this year – Mexico and Japan) comprise three groups that will play in the tournament. The matches will take place throughout Argentina.
Kia will supply official vehicles to the local organizing committee and launch branding activities around the tournament including pitch A-board advertisements, TV commercials airing during the game broadcasts and Kia car displays at the venues.
Kia is activating global promotional campaigns called ‘Champ into the Arena’ and ‘Lucky Drive to Copa America’. Kia Champ into the Arena is a five-a-side amateur soccer competition and Lucky Drive to Copa America is a program giving customers in participating countries a chance to win an all-expense paid trip to the semi-finals in Mendoza, Argentina.
This isn't Kia's first go at soccer. Kia looks to major global events to enhance brand awareness and locally customize its brand image in support of its ‘glocalization’ product strategy. Glocalization refers to products designed to benefit a local market while at the same time being developed and distributed on a global level. After a series of successes with global sponsorship involvements in UEFA Euro 2008 and 2010 FIFA World CupT and local partnerships with Atletico de Madrid of Spain and FC Bordeaux of France, the company says it has strategically decided to broaden its local partnership into South America, which it sees as an automobile market with annual new car demand of over 6 million vehicles.
“Through the Copa America Argentina 2011 Sponsorship, Kia will be able to strengthen its current status as a major sponsor of the world’s premier football events and create momentum for our sponsorship of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil,” Mr. Oh said.
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