What do the shape of a tiger’s nose and a warthog wearing a backpack have in common? Both have been inspirations for the designs of Kia vehicles.

Kia Canada is revving up its 2013 media strategy with the upcoming launch of a campaign that will take consumers behind the scenes to see what inspires the design of its models.

With media by ZenithOptimedia and creative by Innocean Worldwide Canada, the campaign, which targets adults 18+, kicked off Sunday with a YouTube homepage takeover that included a Kia-themed masthead and video. The takeover invited YouTube users to click the ad to don a pair of so-called “interactive glasses” and watch a video that showed them the world through a Kia designer’s eyes.

Rob Staffieri, director of marketing, Kia Canada, tells MiC that an upcoming series of five TV spots, which will debut Feb. 24 during the Academy Awards, will continue the brand’s design theme throughout 2013 and tell the individual stories of some of Kia’s redesigned models, including the Sorento, Forte, Rondo, Optima and Cadenza.

The TV spots will run nationally on conventional and specialty channels such as CTV, TSN and CBC, with each new spot coinciding with the launch of one of the redesigned models. The TV buys will be supported by digital microsites for each model, print ads in the Globe and Mail, the National Post and La Presse and 60-second spots in cinemas in all major markets.

Staffieri says that the design story will be present in all of the brand’s communications throughout 2013. He adds that this is the first time Kia has used an integrated single-themed campaign to both position itself as a brand and promote its vehicles.

He says that the media strategy was seen as the next logical step for Kia to set itself apart from other brands and raise awareness with consumers about the changes it’s made to its design philosophy over the past few years.