The writing's on the wall - and plenty of other places as Kia gets ready to launch the 2011 Optima.

Fast-growing Kia is planning to spend a record amount on advertising as it moves forward with plans to expand its market share.

The first phase of the campaign begins with the launch of the 2011 Kia Optima – and includes  the largest campaign in Kia Motors America’s history.  It will start this weekend with a made-for-cinema 60-second spot, which will run at movie theaters nationwide.  Titled “Sweet Dreams,” the ad is based on the premise that “nobody ever dreamt of driving a midsize sedan. . . until now.”

“Consumers told us that traditional midsize sedan offerings were missing the excitement and fun found in other segments, but the Optima is the latest result of our design-led transformation,” said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, KMA.  “It breaks from tradition by combining dynamic styling with powerful and fuel-efficient performance and has the high levels of quality and safety consumers have come to expect from Kia.”

Ford has a big launch in mind for Explorer.

Created by KMA’s advertising agency, David&Goliath, “Sweet Dreams” is meant to resonate with buyers who are typically uninspired by traditional midsize sedans and desire more, Sprague said, noting the all-new Optima builds upon Kia’s philosophy of creating high quality, dynamic vehicles, which also delivering outstanding fuel economy.

“It really is true that consumers don’t usually dream of driving a midsize sedan, but we believe that the Optima will change that, making the midsize sedan something worth desiring again.”

In addition to “Sweet Dreams,” the 2011 Optima will be featured in Kia’s second Super Bowl ad, in February, and will soon be available for consumer test drives through the “Experience the New Standard” program at select auto shows around the country, Sprague said.

Kia, however, isn’t the only maker planning to ramp up its marketing efforts as the automotive market begins to show signs of momentum.

Ford Motor Co. officials have confirmed the automaker is planning a major ad blitz, starting in January, behind the new Ford Explorer. It will be a very large campaign, said Amy Marentic, group marketing manager.

“This is a very significant launch,” she said, and would support an extended roll-out that begin with the “reveal” of the 2011 Ford Explorer during a well-covered event in New York City, last autumn.

As part of the launch, Explorer spots will replace some of the F-150 and Ford Heavy-Duty spots the automaker typically runs during NFL and college bowl games during January, said Marentic, who declined to say how much Ford planned to spend on the campaign.

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