Ten years ago Kia was rolled out and targeted for hip, tech-savvy, young consumers. It was for the millennial generation – consumers in their 20s and 30s. Ads with dancing hamsters were designed to attract urban hipsters. But, this segmentation of buyers has shrunk to 12%. Who is buying the car? Boomers, retired or close-to-retirement individuals, have purchased 42% of these cars.
Discussion Questions:
- Who is the target audience for these ads?
- Why has sales to millennials declined while sales to boomers increased? Did advertising have any impact on this occurring, or is it just the design of the car?
- Chapter 3 identifies a consumer trend called age complexity. How can this be impacting sales of Kia?
- Can Kia reach both segments with the same advertising or is it necessary to design a different advertising campaign for each target audience? Explain.
- With this change in buyers, should Kia continue their current advertising approach or should a different strategy be used? Explain.
Clow/Baack 