World Cup™ Advertisers Kia, Volkswagen Had Greatest Influence On Car Shoppers, According To Kelley Blue Book

Automakers Advertising in World Cup Doubled Search Activity over Industry Average on KBB.com

IRVINE, Calif., July 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Riding the wave of soccer fever that swept the nation, automotive companies that advertised during the World Cup 2014^® experienced twice as much growth in consumer interest on KBB.com compared to automakers that did not advertise during the event, ¹ according to Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. The greatest traffic surge occurred the week the U.S. Men's National Soccer team competed against Portugal and Germany, as many Americans tuned in to the high-profile games.

"By creating entertaining, soccer-specific commercials, World Cup automotive advertisers Kia, Volkswagen, Hyundai and Nissan successfully generated interest around their brand and models, driving consumer research activity on KBB.com," said Arthur Henry, analyst for Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com. "Each advertiser also highlighted elements of the game that were relatable to the casual American soccer fan."

Percent Increase of KBB.com Searches for Automakers Advertising During World Cup¹

Kia and Volkswagen tied for first place in this year's World Cup ad game. FIFA's official automotive partner Kia along with Volkswagen both increased nearly 20 percent in new-car searches on KBB.com after their respective ads aired, which was more than any other automaker advertising during the soccer series.¹  Kia's commercials featured Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima, and the brand experienced a similar traffic surge on KBB.com when Lima previously starred in the automaker's commercial that aired during the 2012 Super Bowl^®.  Volkswagen's consumer interest likely surged because the German manufacturer benefits from its large following among soccer fans.

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¹The percent increase of the automaker's new-car searches on KBB.com during the third week of the World Cup (June 22-28, 2014) compared to the second week of the World Cup (June 15-21, 2014).
FIFA and World Cup 2014 are registered trademarks of FIFA, Super Bowl is a registered trademark of the National Football League

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)
Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry.  Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In and Suggested Retail Values, and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new cars this week.  The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies.  Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com ranked highest in its category for brand equity by the 2014 Harris Poll EquiTrend^® study and has been named Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year for three consecutive years.  Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. is a Cox Automotive company.

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SOURCE Kelley Blue Book

For further information: Chintan Talati, 949-267-4855, ctalati@kbb.com; Joanna Pinkham, 404-568-7135, jpinkham@kbb.com; Brenna Robinson, 949-267-4781, berobinson@kbb.com; Natalie Kumaratne, 949-267-4770, nkumaratne@kbb.com