Most people in Belgium know that Korean car brand Kia gives a 7-year warranty on all its models. That’s a good thing. But, a lot of them think 7 years warranty is too good to be true and that there must be a catch. That’s a problem. If people don’t believe your advertising message then regular advertising is insufficient. A different approach was needed. One where traditional advertising was supported by editorial content and especially a lot of word of mouth.
LDV United came up with a campaign where everybody got reminded that only Kia gives 7 years warranty. And that, although it sounds too good to be true, it is in fact 100% true and that there is no catch.
To prove the warranty was genuine and that there was no catch, a lie detector was used. Legal connections, an official lie detector company, hooked up the CEO of Kia Motors to their lie detector. Consumers then asked him questions on the 7-year warranty during a live online session.
The stunt was communicated through newspaper ads, banners and a press release telling everyone that an actual CEO would be undergoing a live lie detector test. As a result the event was picked up by countless blogs and got featured in various newspapers and magazines. A lot of buzz was generated on the streets.
The campaign’s impact according to independent media company Scripta was…
- Brand recognition: 42% (instead of 32% sector average)
- Attribution: 73% (instead of 62% sector average)
- Resulting in an Effectiveness Rating of 31% (instead of 20% sector average)
- And last but not least: An impressive credibility of 80%