Brand Purpose is something that we’ve been steadily evolving with partners like Kia for the last 3 years or so. We have helped them have a clear sense of 'the why' – why they do what they do. And now, we make sure that purpose is always at the heart of our thinking. Richard Branson said it best: “The brands that will thrive in the coming years are the ones that have a purpose beyond profit.”
FACES OF SANTA ANA We supported former Kia car designer, Brian Peterson, and his work for the local homeless community in Santa Ana (near Kia's Irvine HQ) as he used the power of art and human connection to help empower his homeless neighbors and recognize them as people.
THE GAME MUST GO ON In 2021, as Covid secured its grip, Kia decided to opt out of the Super Bowl. Kind of. During that same Super Bowl week we launched The Game Must Go On. We took the money that would have been allocated to the production of a big spot and put it to good use. School football programs had been hit hard by Covid, and budgets were being cut, and programs shuttered. We found 10 school programs that needed help and kept them on the field. The first video launched the program in the lead-up to Super Bowl; the second video is a case study that features the winning schools.
GCD: Me, John O'Hea CW: Chris Mead AD: Kris Wong
ACCELERATE THE GOOD As the stark, unprecedented new reality wrought by Covid began to sink in in April 2020, we decide to take action. We offered payment relief for existing lease and finance customers, as well as deals for new customers. We also continued our commitment to homeless youth and donated another $1million to homeless youth organizations like Covenant House.
GREAT UNKNOWNS SCHOLARSHIP As part of Kia's Super Bowl 2019 campaign (above), instead of spending millions on a celebrity, we created an educational scholarship program (that is now in its third year) to help students from less privileged backgrounds.
THE CONSCIOUS CREATIVE MOVEMENT I wrote and co-directed these films for our Thought-leadership series on Social Impact and Brand Purpose for the The 4A's (The American Association of Advertising Agencies). Simon Mainwaring is a leading voice and bestselling author (We First) on the subject of brand purpose through social media. And Kirk Souder founded a social impact agency.