Winners of Euro 2012 contests announced

PETALING JAYA: Sixteen people will soon be on their way to Europe to watch Euro 2012 live.

They were awarded tickets to the football extravaganza by Kia distributor Naza Kia Malaysia Sdn Bhd at an official ceremony at the Kia Red Cube Petaling Jaya today.

A total of 16 tickets to Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine were awarded to the winners in the wake of four Naza Kia campaigns to boost sales and reward customers.

Kia Motors is the official sponsor for this year’s Euro 2012 and follows its previous sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and the Copa America 2011. Besides awarding tickets, Naza Kia Malaysia will also bear all flight and accommodation costs.

The first contest tied-in with the company’s Test Drive Kia On Tour 2012 series of roadshows.

For this campaign, customers who made a booking or test drove a vehicle at the roadshows stood a chance to win a ticket to the Euro 2012 Group B match between Germany and the Netherlands.

The Test Drive Kia On Tour 2012 began in One Utama in March before moving to the KSL City Mall in Johor Baru in April. It returned to the Klang Valley in May at The Curve in Petaling Jaya before concluding at the Queensbay Mall on May 27. As an added bonus, one winner was picked from each venue.

Naza Kia Malaysia recorded 636 bookings from all four venues with 2,406 test drives conducted.

Another Euro 2012 contest was held in conjuction with two Kia Customer Days which were held in March and May respectively. For both customer days, entries were divided into two categories: sales and after-sales.

In the sales category, customers who made a booking during the customer day would be entered into the running to win a ticket for the Germany vs the Netherlands Group B match.

Airul Redzma and his son Abdul Khaliq.

Similarly, in the after sales category, a ticket for the same match was up for grabs for customers who sent in their cars for a service during the customer day.

For the second Kia Customer Day, Naza Kia Malaysia offered tickets for two winners for both categories. The winner in the service category won two tickets for the quarterfinals match while the winner in the sales category won two tickets for the semifinal match.

The runner-ups for both categories won one ticket each for the Group B match between Germany and the Netherlands.

The third Euro 2012 contest was the “I Just Scored Contest” on Naza Kia Malaysia’s official Facebook page.

In this campaign, Naza Kia Malaysia’s fans on the page were invited to submit videos of themselves celebrating a goal at Euro 2012 to win tickets.

The winner was voted by other fans of the page from May 14 to May 18, and received two tickets for the Germany vs The Netherlands match.

The last contest held was in conjunction with the launch of Naza Kia Malaysia’s Test Drive Hub in Bangsar.

The Test Drive Hub offers customers the chance to test drive any Kia by making appointments online, by telephone or at the centre itself which is open seven days a week from 9am to 9pm.

One lucky customer who registered for a test drive from April 18 to May 20 was awarded two tickets for the Group B match between Germany and the Netherlands.

Facebook winner Mohd Husin and wife Noor Azua are just thrilled at the idea of watching the Germany vs The Netherlands match in person.

For Facebook winner Mohd Husin Abd Rahman, the trip was the first time he and his wife Noor Azua Hamid, are going overseas.

He said it would be like a second honeymoon for them after their marriage and honeymoon in Langkawi five years ago.

He said he might extend his stay in Europe provided he could find affordable accommodation after the game.

Dentist Mong Xeng Tien said he couldn't believe it at first when informed that he had won the trip but was ecstatic when the reality sunk in. He said he is taking his brother along with him. The diehard England fan believes "Spain is going to win but I'm supporting England."

For teacher S. Chinatamy, Ukraine is familiar territory as he has been there before because his son was previously studying there.

Like many of the prize winners, he was also shocked to learn of his windfall but is now all ready to pack up for the flight abroad.

By his reckoning, the Netherlands would be the team to beat as they have displayed consistency all these while.

Lawyer Airul Redzma Mahpor received two tickets to the quarter-finals and is taking his 11-year-old son Abdul Khaliq for the game. He pointed out that his son was a bigger football fan than he was.

Naza Kia chief operating officer Datuk Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar said the thrill is in the journey and hoped the winners would find the experience enriching and a moment to cherish for the rest of their lives.

Hafiz said Naza Kia Malaysia had received 6,895 entries from the Euro 2012 campaigns.

Noor Azua Hamid, Mohd Husin Abd Rahman, Kelana Sajari (representing his son Muhammad Wira Aiman Kelana), Kia marketing general manager (Regional HQ/Asia) Yoon Joon Kwan,  Airul Redzma Mahpor, Abdul Khaliq, Kia manager for Asian operations Dae Ki Kim, Hafiz of Naza Kia Malaysia, Shahrul Helmi Shahidan, Azlan Awaluddin, Mong Xeng Tien and S. Chinatamy at the prize-giving ceremony of Naza Kia Malaysia’s Euro 2012 contests earlier today.

"Our bookings from the Test Drive Kia On Tour 2012 roadshows and the two Kia Customer Days totalled 832 units.”

The positive response from the campaigns had contributed to Naza Kia Malaysia’s sales growth this year, with the Forte being the company's besteller, he added.

As of May 31, Naza Kia Malaysia has sold 5,195 cars, up 11% from the same period a year earlier.