Basketball Superstar and Comedian Form “The Griffin Force” to Try to Save the World One Kia Optima at a Time

• Series of eight all-new spots set to run throughout the 2013-2014 NBA season
• Campaign begins during tonight’s Kia NBA Tip-Off ’13 doubleheader with 60- and 30-second introductory spots

IRVINE, Calif., October 29, 2013 – Making it a three-peat, basketball superstar and global brand ambassador Blake Griffin is back, and this time he’s brought along a cape and a sidekick – funnyman Jack McBrayer – to hit the streets as “The Griffin Force” in a series of eight new television commercials for Kia’s best-selling Optima midsize sedan.  The campaign, which continues the signature, off-kilter comedy of previous efforts, debuts during tonight’s Kia NBA Tip-Off ’13 doubleheader featuring the back-to-back champion Miami Heat against the Chicago Bulls and an all-Los Angeles affair with Griffin’s Clippers taking on the Lakers.  Sixty- and 30-second versions of the first spot will demonstrate how the Griffin-McBrayer superhero squad fights to save the world, one Kia Optima at a time.  The next spot, “Zipline,” will begin airing in early November and continue the epic adventures as The Griffin Force saves citizens from making terrible decisions by showing them a better, smarter and more attractive way:  the redesigned 2014 Optima. 

“At Kia, we are fans of the game of basketball, and we are excited to welcome the return of the NBA with a new campaign, featuring the dynamic duo of our global brand ambassador, Blake Griffin, and his new sidekick, Jack McBrayer, along with the redesigned 2014 Optima,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of marketing & communications, Kia Motors America.  “The Optima is one of Kia’s most popular vehicles, and Blake Griffin continues to help us increase awareness and enhance our brand image by fostering connections with basketball fans across the country, especially during the season-opening games of Kia NBA Tip-Off ‘13.”

Created by David&Goliath, Kia's advertising agency of record, the Griffin-McBrayer spots can be viewed on all of Kia’s social and digital platforms, including YouTube.com/Kia and Kia.com.

Griffin Advertising Background
Blake Griffin’s comedic talents and deadpan delivery have made a connection with Optima buyers and basketball fans over the past two NBA seasons.  Kia’s partnership with Griffin was born in 2011 following his famous dunk over an Optima to win the Sprite^® Slam Dunk Contest.  As a global Kia brand ambassador, Griffin has helped grow the brand’s presence in both basketball and pop culture through national marketing campaigns, commercials and social media.  During the 2012-2013 NBA season, Kia’s ad campaign featured Griffin offering helpful suggestions to younger versions of himself as Kia’s available UVO voice-activated infotainment system took his futuristic Optima on a time-traveling musical journey through the mid-1990s and early 2000s. 

Dynamic and Sporty 2014 Optima SXL
The redesigned 2014 version of the hugely popular Optima – Kia’s sales leader in the U.S. – arrives with updated front and rear fascias, accentuating the vehicle’s dynamic and sporty proportions. The eye-catching sedan is available in two powerful Theta II powerplants featuring gasoline direct injection (GDI) technology:  a 2.4-liter GDI four-cylinder or an optional 2.0-liter GDI turbo engine.  A 2.4-liter hybrid powertrain is also available. 

The improvements continue within the cabin of the 2014 Optima, as drivers are greeted with more upscale and high-tech amenities.  The optional SXL trim brings Optima to another level of sporty refinement, adding unique 18-inch chrome wheels, new LED fog lights, red brake calipers, an electronic parking brake, chrome accented side sills, and premium Nappa leather-trimmed seats.  The Optima SXL is built* at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, in West Point, Ga., and is offered at a starting MSRP of $38,000¹.

Industry-Leading Warranty
Kia’s warranty program² offers consumer protection at an exceptional value.  Included in this program are a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, a five-year/60,000-mile limited basic warranty and a five-year/100,000-mile anti-perforation warranty.  A five-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance plan also is part of the vehicle coverage. 

Kia: One of the World’s Fastest Moving Global Automotive Brands
Kia Motors America is one of only three auto brands to increase U.S. sales in each of the past four years, and in 2012 the company surpassed the 500,000 unit mark for the first time.  With a full line of fun-to-drive cars and CUVs, Kia is advancing value to new levels of sophistication by combining European-influenced styling – under the guidance of chief design officer Peter Schreyer – with cutting-edge technologies, premium amenities, affordable pricing and the lowest cost of ownership in the industry.  Kia recently moved up in the exclusive ranking of Interbrand’s “Top 100 Best Global Brands” after joining the list for the first time last year, and the company is poised to continue its momentum with seven all-new or significantly redesigned vehicles scheduled to arrive in showrooms in 2013.  Over the past decade Kia Motors has invested more than $1.4 billion in the U.S., including the company’s first U.S. assembly plant in West Point, Georgia – Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia – which is responsible for the creation of more than 14,000 plant and supplier jobs.  The success of the U.S.-built* Optima and Sorento in two of the industry’s largest segments has fueled Kia’s rapid growth and is complemented by Kia’s comprehensive lineup which includes the Cadenza flagship sedan, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Sportage compact CUV, Optima Hybrid, the Forte sedan, Forte5, and Forte Koup compacts, Rio and Rio 5-door sub-compacts and the Sedona minivan.

About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 765 dealers throughout the United States and serves as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA and LPGA.  In 2012, KMA recorded its best-ever annual sales total and gained U.S. market share for the 18th consecutive year.  Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, advanced safety features and new technologies.

Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its website – www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.  To receive custom email notifications for press releases the moment they are published, subscribe at http://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert.