• Ad Age, Wednesday, November 23, 2005 11:45 AM

Korean automaker Kia has a marketing problem in the U.S. The company has found that most car buyers have outdated impressions of Kia and view the car as decidedly unhip. They also think it is unreliable, especially when compared to its sister brand, Hyundai. To rectify that problem, Kia has hired turnaround artist Ian Beavis as its vice president of marketing and asked him to educate consumers about the strides Kia has made in quality, performance and styling. "We want people to aspire to own a Kia, not settle for one," said Beavis, who joined the company in May after running his own consultancy. Over his 30-year career, Mr. Beavis has worked on Ford Motor Co., Toyota, and Mitsubishi Motors North America, where he scrapped the brand's emotional advertising campaign, calling it "a waste of money." Beavis plans to create a new marketing effort that will position Kia as the company's sportier, more exciting brand. "We've got to change the perceptions of the old Kia," said Len Hunt, who joined the Korean automaker's U.S. unit in October as executive vice president-chief operating officer from Volkswagen of America. "We want to get people excited about the brand." To that end, the automaker dumped its dull U.S. tagline, "Make Every Mile Count," adopting the new global tag, "The Power to Surprise."

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