Kelley Blue Book Announces Television Ad Campaign

In a press release Monday morning, Kelley Blue Book announced that it is going to launch a national television advertising initiative with the goal of strengthening its brand as a vehicle valuation company that is a leader in car research. This will be the first television advertising campaign for the company in its 86-year history. Radio ads for Kelley began airing at the start of 2012 and the company unveiled its logo, which was modernized.

The television ads for Kelley, which will range from 30 to 60 seconds, are expected to reach 189 million people when they air on multiple stations during the company’s media buy that will extend into the fourth quarter of 2012. Its ads will air during the Summer Olympics on DirecTV and on the networks of Comedy Central, ESPN, Fox News, CNN, TNT, MTV, History and the Food Network.

“The new TV campaign is a natural evolution in communicating our industry leadership position, and it is representative of Kelley Blue Book’s new relentless approach to integrated consumer marketing efforts,” Jared Rowe, the president of Kelley Blue Book, said. “With our new TV ads, we are aggressively targeting new-car shoppers ages 18-49 with a substantial media buy, aimed at showcasing all of the helpful new-car shopping and research information we have available at KBB.com. Kelley Blue Book is an iconic brand name with a longstanding reputation built on decades of providing objective and reliable vehicle valuations and vital car-shopping insights to consumers, dealers, finance and insurance companies, and government agencies.”

Kelley has been working with Detroit ad agency Doner to create its television ads. Kelley has named its project ‘Projection’ and it will feature 3D Projection Mapping technology. The company has also created a new tagline to be used in the television spots: “everything you need to make a smart new-car decision.” The television ads will also tout the company’s three brand new tools for car shopping; fair purchase price, 5-year cost-to-own and consumer and expert reviews.

“The Kelley Blue Book brand has one of the most storied histories in the automotive space,” Clark Wood, the chief marketing officer of AutoTrader Group, said. AutoTrader Group is the parent company of Kelley Blue Book. “This campaign will help transform consumer perceptions of KBB.com while demonstrating the powerful tools available to help new-car shoppers make more informed buying decisions.”

Rowe also said in the press release, “As we worked through the process of evolving the logo, it was critical that we maintained elements of the iconic seal and ribbon that had strong equity and connotations of quality, authority, approval and trust. It also was important to choose a design that resonated with consumers and supported the growth and extension of our products over time. This is just the first step in re-imagining Kelley Blue Book, starting with a new modernized and contemporized logo design that brings a fresh and innovative feel to the company overall.”