Buying a car is one of life’s major decisions and a very personal one, however marketers typically default to mass marketing tactics – showing that same TVC, print ad and online banner to everyone.

They rely on their salespeople to answer all the tricky questions -– however consumers aren’t very trusting of salespeople. They are visiting dealerships only 1.5x prior purchase nowadays versus 6x only a few years ago. Instead, they’re making their car purchase decision after trawling through online information and relying on the advice of their friends who have a passion for cars.

Our idea was to be that friend… through millions of conversations – all powered through artificial intelligence and with a sense of cheekiness not usually found in dealerships.

And so we introduced everybody’s new messaging friend, the “Nirobot”.

As we were conceiving this project, we were determined to deliver a truly frictionless experience.

Knowing people turn to Messenger to get away from the clutter, it was important that Nirobot didn’t just text back and forth; it had to harness all the platform advantages of Messenger: rich content, GIFs, 360 degree image specs and more, making the conversation seem as natural as the ones you’d have with friends.

NiroBot can answer thousands of vehicle related questions, from exterior and interior design, to hybrid powertrain, to advanced technology. The system is both informative and playful, leading users on a personalized journey as they explore Niro. It also connects prospects with nearby dealers for a test drive, converting virtual conversations into face-to-face experiences with the brand.

Our target was to sell 40,000 Niros.

Since launching in November, more than 1 million conversations have been started, each typically lasting between 1 and 4 minutes.

Nirobot was the first chatbot ever to launch a Super Bowl ad, contributing to the Niro topping the charts as the most viewed Super Bowl commercial of 2017, delivering millions of earned media value.

To date, NIrobot has delivered 400,000 cost-effective leads and was heralded by Forbes and other media as setting the benchmark for consumer interaction.

By launching a car with a conversation rather than generic TV, print and banner ads, Niro sales are on track to double aggressive targets.

Where the industry standard is to launch a car with a ton of TV ads, pages of print and zillions of banner ads, we launched the Kia Niro hybrid with a conversation. A million multi-media conversations in fact, delivered by our Niro chatbot - the “Nirobot”.

Instead of waiting for dealership visits, or requiring consumers to trawl through endless web content, Nirobot would be where they are – sitting among their Facebook friends list.

Our strategy rested on insights that consumers’ car buying circumstances are unique, so the conversation around that purchase should be equally unique. Chatting with NiroBot would provide immediate, friendly and engaging text, and video content about every aspect of the vehicle: pricing, features, specs, and where to test-drive. It could even be in Spanish if that’s preferred.

With every conversation, NiroBot gathers more customer data and becomes smarter through Artificial Intelligence. It remembers previous comments - including the details and context - and builds on them.

Best of all, the conversation doesn’t stop at purchase. Nirobot tells new owners about the innovative features conversationally rather than requiring them to use a 300p manual. This continues to drive product love and word-of-mouth.

The language of the auto industry turns people off from the car buying process. Jargon is rife and thanks to the pushiness of those selling the cars, the experience is more sleazy than easy. And sometimes the salespeople literally don’t speak your language, with a quarter of Americans preferring their own dialect.

We were tasked with launching Kia’s new Niro hybrid vehicle. Hybrid vehicles are already complicated to explain, and this launch was made even more difficult by the fact the car wasn’t in showrooms yet.

Yet within all great challenges lies great opportunity and we were determined to make the Niro shine whether online or in a showroom.