Kia is hoping to score with fans of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, with a campaign that helps them cheer for their home team while they interact with the brand through their mobile devices.

Targeting soccer fans aged 20 to 35, the in-stadium initiative leverages Kia’s position as a team sponsor and features creative by Innocean and Thinkingbox.

Called the “Kia Tweet to Cheer” campaign, it makes use of the special Twitter hashtag “#kiacheerwcf.” When tweeted by a fan, the hashtag triggers a series of custom lights and sounds that were built into a Kia Rio at BC Place, as well as animations on the stadium’s 80″ digital screens.

To encourage fans to tweet with the hashtag, the campaign uses print ads in game-day programs and posters around the stadium.

“We were looking for a place to set up the vehicle, set up the brand and have a display that would attract as many Whitecaps fans as possible to get the word out that Kia loves the [Whitecaps] as much as they do,” Frederick Nduna, copywriter, Innocean, tells MiC.

He adds that the campaign is part of Kia’s larger ambitions as a brand.

“Kia would like to be known as the official car of soccer in the country,” he says, noting that the brand also sponsers the Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact.

Nduna says the campaign is expected to grow and eventually integrate TV spots, as it continues on a season-by-season basis.

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