Indiantelevision.com Team

(14 January 2008 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Kia Motors America (KMA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) have announced a new multi-year marketing partnership that includes designating Kia as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA.

This is the first time KMA has entered into a multi-year marketing partnership with any sports league.

KMA president and CEO Len Hunt says, "The NBA thrives on the passion of its teams, players and fans, and at Kia we understand how important passion is to building a brand. Serving as the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA will allow us to tap into the energy and excitement of the game and help drive the fans' passion for the Kia brand."

Through this partnership, KMA will present a new series of on-court performance awards that include four of the NBA's most prestigious year-end honours, including the Most Valuable Player Award, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man Award and Most Improved Player, which will be grouped together into a single series called "The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia."

As part of its support of the performance awards, KMA will donate a new 2009 Kia Borrego seven-passenger SUV to the charity of choice of each of the four year-end award winners in 2008. Along with the year-end awards, the performance awards also includes the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Player of the Month Awards.

At the NBA performance awards, Kia will conduct promotions around the NBA playoffs, the finals and the NBA draft. The automobile company is also the new co-presenting partner of NBA Nation, a customised 18-wheel vehicle that transforms into a 30,000 square-foot fan-focused basketball playground.

Later this year, Kia will play a role in the opening of the 2008-09 NBA season as the presenting partner of NBA Tip-Off Week. Kia will be prominently featured throughout NBA's opening week via fan events, promotions, and in local and national NBA game broadcasts.

The deal was negotiated on behalf of KMA by IMG, Kia's sport marketing agency, who has been working with the automaker to develop Kia's national sports platform and NBA team and league strategy and activations. Kia also has partnerships with 16 NBA teams.