Kia Tasman Town

The Brief

Launching the Kia Tasman meant entering Australia’s most competitive and loyalty-driven automotive category: the dual-cab ute market. With buyers fiercely loyal to brands like HiLux, Ranger and D-MAX, Kia needed more than a traditional vehicle launch. It needed credibility, cultural relevance and emotional connection.

Following the success of Kia’s original Tasman launch experience in Tasmania, the Tasman Town narrative was expanded into the national advertising campaign by Innocean. Veritas was then tasked with bringing the concept full circle, transforming the historic township of Sofala, NSW, into a living, breathing Tasman Town that immersed media in the brand story, generated campaign content and created an authentic cultural connection for the Tasman.

Execution

With less than two weeks from final scope approval to delivery, Veritas Events collaborated with Kia, Bathurst Regional Council, local businesses, residents and suppliers to transform Sofala into Tasman Town.

Our team led event planning, stakeholder management, production and on-ground delivery across multiple regional locations. We coordinated approvals, logistics, infrastructure, media hosting and operational delivery, bringing together councils, landowners, suppliers, talent and community stakeholders to create a seamless launch experience.

The program took media and stakeholders from Mount Panorama presentations and vehicle demonstrations to a purpose-built test-drive experience in Marangaroo National Park, before culminating in a golden-hour Tasman convoy into Sofala.

Over three days, the historic town was transformed through signage, branding and environmental storytelling. Guests experienced community activations, sporting legend appearances, content opportunities and authentic regional hospitality, while more than 40 local businesses, suppliers and residents helped bring Tasman Town to life.

Outcome

Tasman Town became the centrepiece of Kia’s broader integrated campaign, generating content that fuelled television, digital, social, PR and influencer activity nationwide.

Results included:

• Reach of approximately 26 million across the campaign.
• More than 1.3 million digital views within the first four days.
• 37 media placements achieved against a target of three.
• Significant uplift in Kia brand consideration ahead of the Tasman’s launch.
• Strong community participation and positive exposure for Sofala and regional NSW.

The event was also recognised as Event of the Year at the 2026 Newspress Australia Awards, voted by attending automotive journalists through a secret ballot.

For us, Tasman Town demonstrated how experiential marketing can transform a campaign idea into a living brand experience, helping Kia successfully launch its first-ever ute into one of Australia’s toughest automotive categories.