Now more than perhaps ever before, businesses constantly have to adapt to new ways consumers interact with them and their products, in what is now a fast and ever-changing world. The auto industry is no different, and Kia is a manufacturer not afraid to go in new directions. It's certainly doing that with the rollout of its new Stinger model, which is being showcased to potential buyers in America in shopping malls and retail centres around the country, known as "Stinger Salons."
The Stinger Salons are unique locations placed in high-traffic shopping destinations intended to introduce people to the new Singer coupe in an immersive and exclusive way, which is quite different from the traditional dealership experience. By placing these "galleries" right in front of shoppers, it could attract buyers of prestige and performance cars who might not necessarily consider a Kia. The company has had somewhat limited success with its K900 luxury sedan, which is squarely aimed at competing with uber-sedans such as the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S-Class.
Despite the quality and style of its more premium models, Kia has to negotiate the considerable hurdle of overcoming the problem of branding. Regardless of how good cars like the K900 or the Stinger are, they don't have a blue and white rondel or a silver three-pointed star on the front, and that's a big problem for the likes of Kia.
This new way of promoting the Stinger isn't actually all that new though. The South Korean Daewoo brand experimented with a similar idea by having what we'd now probably call "pop-up" showrooms in retail centers, which were staffed by advisors and not salespeople. It wasn't exactly a huge success, and the automotive division of the company was sold to GM in 1999.
The Stinger Salons give visitors an insight into the lengthy journey of bringing a car like this from a concept to production, as well as into how Kia as a brand has developed over the years to where it is today. Knowledgeable product specialists are on-hand in each site to converse with visitors, where custom video content and virtual reality modules can also be viewed to gain further insight into the new car.
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