At a Glance

  • During the WNBA All-Star Weekend from July 24-26, Kia partnered with WNBA player and ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike to launch an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on Reddit. According to information obtained by Marketing Dive, the session received 61,000 views and 354 upvotes within the first 72 hours.
  • "Ask Me Anything: Claw Edition" marks the first time an automotive brand has launched a video-based AMA during the WNBA All-Star Weekend. During the livestream, Ogwumike used a Kia-branded claw machine to answer questions submitted by Reddit users.
  • Reddit is working to position itself as a brand-friendly platform to attract more advertising investment. Commercializing AMAs (which have been popular since the 2010s) and simplifying their hosting process is one way the platform is attracting marketers to engage with its users.

Deep Dive

Kia put a creative spin on this classic Reddit interactive format during the All-Star Weekend in July, becoming the latest major brand to explore ways to connect with the platform's highly engaged users and community-driven culture.

In a traditional AMA, celebrities or other high-profile figures answer questions from the Reddit community. Questions are typically asked and answered in real time, with hosts responding in text. Kia's AMA took a different approach, with pre-screened questions giving the brand more control over the interactive experience. To add visual appeal to the video, Ogwumike shot a mini basketball hoop after answering each question, with each successful shot raising funds for the clothing charity One Warm Coat, ultimately donating a total of $20,000.

Reddit has always been a tricky platform for marketers. Due to the platform's community-driven and crowdsourced nature, many brands avoid it entirely out of safety concerns. However, with 126.8 million daily active users, some marketers are seeking ways to reach Reddit's large, under-tapped audience, especially as the platform continues to appear in AI-generated search result summaries.

Since going public in 2024, advertising revenue has become a key driver of Reddit's profitability. In the first quarter, advertising revenue accounted for $625 million of the platform's total revenue of $663 million, according to its earnings report. Ad revenue grew 74% year-over-year in the quarter, outpacing overall revenue growth by 5 percentage points.

Kia has expanded its investment in the WNBA under the terms of its renewed partnership with the WNBA and NBA in 2025. As part of the agreement, Kia engaged with fans at the WNBA Live fan festival held alongside the WNBA All-Star Weekend and gained access to more talent for producing content series such as "Inside a Kia."

Kia is not the only company experimenting with Reddit marketing. In February, Dove launched a transparency-focused campaign that directly cited real Reddit user reviews of its Intensive Repair 10-in-1 Serum Mask in the creative assets, including negative comments.