KIA
The brand paired talent-led creative with AI-powered automation.
Goal
Buying a car is one of the biggest purchasing decisions people make. When KIA launched the EV3 in Australia and New Zealand, they wanted to drive awareness of a brand-new model, get people to their site, and turn browsers into serious leads. This meant meeting shoppers where they're already dreaming about their next ride.
That's where Pinterest came in. People come to Pinterest to plan their next steps, which makes the platform ideal for connecting with shoppers before major purchases. KIA's goal was to reach car shoppers early and drive cost-efficient conversions across the full funnel.
Strategy
KIA's approach came down to two things: ads that people actually wanted to watch, and letting AI find the right audiences for the campaign.
They brought in Kia Ambassador Jesinta Franklin to create a series of short videos. Each one focused on a different EV3 feature (like iPedal technology, charging, and connectivity) and felt more like genuine lifestyle content than a typical car ad. The videos showed the car in real contexts, which helped KIA connect with people who were scrolling through their feed.
The awareness campaign targeted people aged between 18 and 49 across a range of interests, from cars to related lifestyle topics. They also targeted competitor brand keywords to reach shoppers who were already researching other vehicles.
For the consideration and conversion campaigns, KIA used Pinterest Performance+. Instead of manually adjusting targeting and placements, they let the platform's AI find the people most likely to engage and convert. The system optimised in real time, helping to match the right creative to the right person at the right moment.
“
Pinterest was the ideal environment to amplify and support our EV3 launch. With a full-funnel strategy paired with the AI and automation of Pinterest Performance+, Pinterest proved to be an invaluable partner to drive cost efficient on-site leads, surpassing our expectations. Pinterest helped us capture high intent auto intenders to deliver on our lower-funnel goals.”
Tim Manning
Kia Australia, Digital Marketing Manager
Results
The campaign delivered strong results, outperforming KIA’s already high benchmarks for auto campaigns on Pinterest. They reached their goals for brochure downloads and engagement with the build-and-price tool, all while staying comfortably under budget. That meant more leads and more excitement—without needing to spend more.
35%
More efficient outbound CPC compared to ANZ Auto benchmarks1
18%
More efficient cost per lead versus the planned CPL goal1
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