Our objective with Kia NiroBot was to provide people with immediate, friendly and engaging content about Kia's first-dedicated crossover hybrid delivered in a unique and entertaining way. With NiroBot, we set Kia up as a leader in automotive content experiences and also emerging platforms; conversational interfaces.
In the end, we wanted to reach people in a familiar space with useful content.
With 75%* of the world using messaging napps, we knew the way to do it was through a chatbot.
Keep the bot AI behind the curtain: make it feel "real"
Storytell within a conversation
Prioritize user choice: users can access an "on rails" Q+A or free form Q+A with Niro
Create a consistent personality: NiroBot always talks like NiroBot
Clear and direct answers; providing the right content with a wink
Breadth of bot knowledge (from exterior colors to the hybrid powertrain to advanced safety features)
Staying agile and alllow for evolution (As one of the first OEMs in the US with a Facebook chatbot, our strategy evolved along with our bot…)
....And a few hidden gems / Easter eggs ("How many friends do you have?")
Since launching in November, more than 700,000 conversations have been sent, with an average conversation lasting of over 3 minutes.
In February 2017, Kia was the first automotive brand to release it's "Big Game" ad featuring Melissa McCarthy on the platform. During the game, NiroBot hosted a special contest, "Melissa's Precious Gear," giving away props from the commercial.
