You may have noticed some of the new television advertsiements for the Kia Forte sedan. This compact car is meant to compete in the same segment as vehicles like the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, offering an affordable commuting solution for people who want something simple and reliable. Hyundai and Kia are quickly growing in popularity in North America and this has a lot to do with the overwhelmingly positive reviews and the significantly improved quality ratings.
In many of these new Kia Forte ads, we find people in situations that are unfamiliar to them. They’ll say that XYZ activity is not their forte, but “that” is, pointing toward their new Kia vehicle. The ads are mostly memorable and arguably do a good job in furthering the brand recognition and brand presence for Kia, but there are some inaccuracies. Do these inaccuracies hurt the ad campaign or were they intentional errors included for the purpose of irony?
For example, there is one commercial where a person is thrown out onto the street. He looks toward the camera and says that kung-fu is not his forte. However, this particularly individual is very clearly wearing a karate gi and not the traditional outfit associated with Chinese kung-fu. Ironically, Kia is a Korean company and, as such, it is neither Japanese nor Chinese. Whatever the case, the karate gi is out of sync with the mention of kung-fu. A small quibble, to be sure, but an inaccurate one nonetheless.
Must there be complete and utter truth in all advertising? We expect companies mostly to be honest and truthful with the presentation of their products and Kia is not misrepresenting its Forte compact sedan in these ads. However, the inaccuracy in the background and supplemental information may offend or confuse some audiences. What do you think? Do you expect all ads to be completely truthful and accurate?
jay @ work at home
August 1, 2009 8:10 am
All depends on how intriguing ads may become to people. You are right though! Something can be out of sight and make a person not want to even look at it, but make a person laugh. you will get sales coming in without notice by putting a smile on a individual. There is some car out there I seen that looks so small, but that it even look as if it can fit in a house doorway, but it will sale because of the goofy advertising. Look at the progressive advertising commercial and you will see what I mean. Great post…
Dr. Cossack
August 1, 2009 11:22 am
I like ads to be accurate, as some people take them at face value and don’t understand that, sometimes, corners are cut to pass along a message. Of course, I understand how said corners are a must, but I do believe that a little extra work to keep things accurate improves the perception of a product or service.
Henaway
August 10, 2009 3:04 pm
I’ve seen the ad, and unless you’re someone who is INTO kung fu/karate/judo/whatever … you won’t have any clue it’s wrong, and won’t care one lick. I had no idea the guy was in the wrong kind of outfit … didn’t care. Don’t think it has any impact on the product whatsoever.
Now, if they were trying to sell kung fu lessons like that, I’d expect the right costume. That’s pitching the product … not an incidental in the ad.
It’s kind of like people reading a book that’s been adapted to a movie, then whining and complaining how the movie was inaccurate and this and that. Or historians complaining about how the latest Hollywood re-creation of this war or that is wrong … they used this model plane in the movie, but it hadn’t been invented until two years later, yada yada. Doesn’t matter! It’s entertainment, not a documentary!
My $0.02.