2021 Brand Experience & Activation

INSPIRING BILLBOARDS

TitleINSPIRING BILLBOARDS
BrandKIA MOTORS CORPORATION
Product/ServiceKIA BRAND
Category B02. Use of Ambient Media: Large Scale
Entrant INNOCEAN WORLDWIDE EUROPE Berlin, GERMANY
Idea Creation INNOCEAN WORLDWIDE EUROPE Berlin, GERMANY
Production MARSHMALLOW LASER FEAST London, UNITED KINGDOM
Credits
Name Company Position
Artur Martins Kia Motors Corporation SVP Global Chief Brand Officer & Chief Experience Officer
Kyungmi Lee Kia Motors Corporation Head of Global Marketing Communications
Gabriel Mattar INNOCEAN Worldwide Europe European Chief Creative Officer
Ricardo Wolff INNOCEAN Worldwide Europe Executive Creative Director
Jack Christensen INNOCEAN Worldwide Europe Creative Director
Teco deLuccia INNOCEAN Worldwide Europe Creative Director
Nicolas Holz INNOCEAN Worldwide Europe Senior Copywriter
Ana Conrado INNOCEAN Worldwide Europe Senior Art Director
Giovanna Pereira INNOCEAN Worldwide Europe Junior Copywriter
Seine Kongruangkit INNOCEAN Worldwide Europe Junior Art Director
Marcus Wetschewald INNOCEAN Worldwide Europe Producer
Alessia Bellini INNOCEAN Worldwide Europe Account Director
Michael Dunker INNOCEAN Worldwide Europe Digital Account Director
Benjamin Merten INNOCEAN Worldwide Europe Account Director
Carlos Suárez INNOCEAN Worldwide Europe Editor
Barney Steel Marshmallow Laser Feast Director
Ersinhan Ersin Marshmallow Laser Feast Director
Ulla Winkler Marshmallow Laser Feast Creative Producer
Katherine Templar Lewis Scientists Creative Scientist and Futurist
Richard Taylor Scientists Professor for Physics, Psychology and Art
Beatriz Calvo Merino Scientists Cognitive Neuroscience Reader & Collaborator

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

For relauching their brand, Kia wanted to communicate their philosophy that movement inspires ideas. Along with their new brand mission that everything they do should give people the time and space to feel inspired. This mission isn’t limited to their products but also every experience the brand offers. To develop the OOH campaign, their new slogan: ‘Movement that inspires’ was brought to life through an innovative activation. Resulting in the world’s first OOH campaign that is scientifically able to inspire viewers. Creating communication that didn’t just tell people that movement can inspire, but gave them an experience that proved it.

Background

For the relaunch of their brand, Kia wanted to communicate their philosophy that movement inspires ideas. This was brought to life with a new slogan: ‘Movement that inspires’ and their new mission that everything they do should inspire people. Rather than simply announcing this to world, we decided to demonstrate it by inspiring our audience using a method that was scientifically proven.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

We created a series of visuals that use real movements in nature which are scientifically proven to increase the alpha waves in the brain, making you calmer, more focused, and more engaged. The visuals were created in collaboration with neuroscientists and the art collective, Marshmallow Laser Feast. The team tracked the movements of different natural elements such as sand shifting, ocean waves and a dancer moving through the air. The fractal patterns created by these movements were used to develop neuroaesthetic animations. The final animations were lab tested of participants proving that they brought people closer to a creative state of flow.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

With their relaunch, Kia’s goal was to reposition themselves globally through a new brand purpose that everything they do should inspire. This new brand purpose was aimed towards a new audience that is independent, confident, progressive and openminded. These values are all found in innovators and early adaptors, a target audience that are taste makers and trend setters, who also value authenticity. The development of The Inspiring Billboards was produced with this target audience in mind, by creating something that is innovative, scientifically inspiring but also tangible proof that movement can inspire ideas rather than just a gimmick.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

The neuroaesthetic animations were created by enhancing real movements in nature that are scientifically proven to help bring people closer to a state of creative flow. Such as ocean waves that stimulate the visual cortex, fractal patterns on land that evoke a calm state that is crucial for creating flow and movement of the human form that creates a sense of embodiment, presence, aesthetic and affective pleasure. These animations were then lab tested on participants, to confirm the scientific hypothesis. The final animations were first unveiled during Kia’s new brand showcase and then installed as digital OOHs all over the world, from Stockholm to Seoul.

List the results (30% of vote)

Test results showed that the animations left the viewer in a greater state of creative flow, proving the inspirational power of movement. A scientific study behind the campaign is ongoing with Dr Beatriz Calvo Merino at City University and Professor Richard Taylor at Oregon University hoping to continue their research into the impact of art and movement on the brain.