5 Lessons KIA Taught Us About “On Trend” Branding

When was the last time a brand made you feel truly special? For us, it was KIA at Blogalicious Weekend in Miami, Florida.

KIA returned as our premium conference sponsor and totally lived up to the title. Throughout the weekend, attendees raved about their swanky activations and trendy gifts. But what separated KIA from the pack was their staff. As consumers, we’ve all encountered brands who deplete their resources in marketing and branding, while overlooking the intimate ways they can physically interact with their audience. From the warm welcome attendees received upon walking into their Suite to the safety precautions their vehicle operators took, KIA exhibited great customer service. The staff focused on ensuring that our attendees got the most out of their time together, thus engraining brand awareness and for some, loyalty.

When we checked social media, it became clear that KIA was a collective favorite of the Blogalicious tribe. Our hashtags #Blogalicious9 and #TribeUp are embedded with photos of attendees enjoying delectables in KIA’s suite, cruising down Biscayne Blvd in one of their 2017 model cars, or fawning over free curated beauty and skincare products. This kind of response reminds us of how important it is to know your audience, their needs, and how and when to address them.

It’s important to us that we adjoin our audience with sponsors who “get them”. In confidence, we can say that KIA exceeded all expectations! Here are just a few branding lessons we learned from our time spent with the motor company.

5 branding lessons we learned from KIA

The beautiful @Kia Sportage #Kia #KiaSportage #TribeRide #TribeRideSweepstakes pic.twitter.com/F7QPhwr4rt

— Leanette Fernandez (@leanettef) October 6, 2017

1. Assemble the right tribe for your brand and its activations. Make sure they represent your mission with pride and integrity.
2. Train your staff. Once you curate your tribe, equip them to serve your audience. With hundreds of attendees KIA’s staff met throughout Blogalicious Weekend, they were knowledgeable and prepared to handle next steps.
3. Diversify your offering. For each day they were on the scene, this sponsor had something new to offer, which is great for diverse audiences.
4. Make signing up easy. Consumers want to give you their contact information. Just make it easy for them to give.
5. Be on trend. Everyone with a smartphone has heard about Rihanna’s new makeup line, Fenty Beauty. Due to the singer’s popularity – and the quality product features – those products are hardly in stock. Imagine the Blogalicious women’s surprise when they walked away with free Fenty products and a chance at a $50 Sephora gift card. This level of “on trend” is what we’re after and KIA provided just that!

Thank you, KIA, for being one of this year’s Title Sponsors! We appreciate the lessons, too.