For Kia Niro launch, Messenger is the medium

Editor's note: The company that developed Kia's NiroBot software was misidentified in an earlier version of this story.

Kia's Niro is an unusual animal in the auto kingdom: a high-mileage hybrid that's also a small crossover.

And for the launch of the new nameplate, Kia is experimenting with an unusual marketing strategy, mashing up two platforms that are the natural habitats of many young car shoppers: Facebook and messaging apps.

Kia is the first automaker to deploy a chat bot through Facebook's Messenger platform that presents shoppers with photos and descriptions of the Niro and a chance to get their questions answered in real time.

The automated NiroBot is programmed to field basic queries about the Niro while staying within the familiar Messenger format that Facebook regulars use to chat with friends. It's backed by Kia representatives who can step into the conversation at anytime if a shopper asks to speak with a person.

Messenger, along with 360-degree video and live broadcasting functions, is helping to fuel Facebook's evolution as a marketing medium as the social network closes in on 2 billion active monthly users worldwide. While automotive marketing already relies heavily on photos and videos distributed widely, the direct targeting ability of Facebook and the question-and-answer function within it could allow the industry to connect with identifiable consumers one on one at a scale that hasn't been possible in the past.

The use of Messenger is especially promising for a new nameplate such as the Niro. Marketers can quickly build awareness and interest in the vehicle and then convert shoppers into leads on a messaging platform that is used by more than 1 billion people each month.

A March 2016 Facebook-commissioned study by Nielsen of 12,500 people across five continents found that 56 percent of them would rather message a business than call customer service.

The NiroBot software script was developed by chat-bot company Reply.ai.

Businesses are trying to figure out the best ways to implement chat bots, said Marc Hayes, vice president of products and strategy for LivePerson, whose software platform manages and hosts the NiroBot function for Kia. In addition to the NiroBot, Kia is reaching out to shoppers through Google search ads that let people text their local dealerships.

"There's a level of experimentation happening in the marketplace today," Hayes told Automotive News, adding that the NiroBot is "targeted at a younger audience. Kia is meeting the audience in the medium they're communicating with."

Edmunds, the car-shopping site, is prepping a "Lease Bot" for Messenger that will help consumers find their desired vehicle before referring them to dealerships.

One challenge Edmunds has faced in refining the bot's capabilities is ensuring that it can understand misspellings or slang vehicle terms, such as "Bimmer" for BMW models, said Greg Shaffer, Edmunds' senior director of product development. A request for something sporty has to be translated to refer consumers to convertibles or coupes.

"People describe cars in ways that people in our industry don't," Shaffer told Automotive News. "Instead of requiring them to use drop-down boxes to select industry terms, we need to be able to expand our inventory searching and talk like they talk. It's pretty difficult to do, but we've actually done a pretty good job at that."

With the Niro, shoppers can access the messaging bot on the crossover's official Facebook fan page or at kia.com. Or a link might appear in an ad on their Facebook news feed. The look will be familiar to smartphone texters, but the function works on desktop computers as well.

At the beginning of the chat, the NiroBot lets consumers know that it isn't a person. The bot then tells people they can submit questions, ask for a human or choose topics from "design" to "hybrid engineering" from a menu to get the conversation started. 

The menu option leads to a rapid-fire exchange in which the bot shares pictures of the Niro along with descriptions that detail its driving modes, hybrid powertrain, chassis and handling. Consumers can opt for a live Kia rep by typing "human." 

If a user asks for the nearest dealer, the bot sends a link to a dealer locator on Kia's website. 

LivePerson categorizes the NiroBot as a hybrid bot because a person can step in when necessary. The tech company says it's important that it doesn't try to fool consumers into thinking that they're communicating with a person. 

"It's important to label what it is you're talking to," Rurik Bradbury, LivePerson's global head of communications and research, told Automotive News. Consumers "don't like being tricked."