Mustoes loses out in £25m Kia launch pitch

Kia is understood to have appointed Greek agency Breakfast to handle the £25m pan-European launch of its Sedona MPV model.

Kia is understood to have appointed Greek agency Breakfast to handle the &£25m pan-European launch of its Sedona MPV model.

It is thought the agency, which works with Kia in Greece, beat FCB Netherlands and UK incumbent Mustoes to win the business. The appointment does not affect Mustoes’ hold on the UK account.

Kia called a pitch for the business at the start of last month ahead of the launch of the Sedona, which is called the Carnival in Europe, later this year.

It is believed the appointment is an attempt to build a stronger European identity for the brand because much of Kia’s advertising is influenced by its Korean headquarters. It is possible that Breakfast will handle future pan-European launches for Kia as a result of the win.

Last month Kia appointed Haygarth to handle its &£1m direct marketing account. Until that point most of its promotional work had gone through Mustoes. It is understood that Haygarth will be concentrating on customer acquisition activity for Kia.

Kia posted a 2.2% sales increase in the UK last month, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders. The marque’s sales are up almost 2% for 2006, giving it a 1.5% market share in the UK.

Kia appointed Byong Kwang Jang as its UK president earlier this year (MW February 16). Jang joined from Kia’s head office in South Korea, where he was director of export sales group 1. The appointment followed a restructure of Kia’s sales operations after the departure of sales director Howard Slade, who had been at the company for more than four years (MW December 15, 2005).