Kia Motors Drives Fans To Vote For Best Of The Best In First-Ever USA TODAY Ad Meter: Year In Sports

— Inaugural Platform Presented by Kia Gives Fans a Chance to Register to be an Official Ad Meter Panelist and Vote for "Best of" Across Sports and Sports Culture with a Social Twist —

— Voting Starts Today and Runs Through December 17—

McLEAN, Va., Nov. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sports fans nationwide can register and officially begin voting today as part of the inaugural panel of voters for the USA TODAY Ad Meter: Year In Sports, presented by Kia Motors America, which will honor the "Best of the Best" in sports for 2013.  

Beginning today and running through December 17, the panel will vote across several unique categories for nominees that have fueled social media conversation and buzz-worthy news during the year. To participate, fans can go to yearinsports.usatoday.com to register to be an official Ad Meter panelist. Eligibility is open to current and new participants.

Throughout the campaign, the Year in Sports, presented by Kia digital platform will profile categories via video, editorial and consumer sentiment by representing the type of content that has made USA TODAY Sports' social news platform For The Win an overwhelming success. Official winners will be revealed on December 18.

During the inaugural activities, the Ad Meter panel will vote for nominees in non-advertising categories, including:

• "Kia Performance of the Year"
• "Kia Most Dynamic Athlete of the Year"
• "Kia Moment of Innovation"
• "Best Fan"
• "Best Athlete on Social Media"
• "Best Viral Video/Meme"
• "Most Emotional Moment"
• "Best Hair/Facial Hair"

In all, fans will have a chance to select winners from 15 engaging categories that capture the incredible year in sports and sports culture and the social news that fueled the national conversation around it. Voting will begin on Monday, November 25 and a complete list of categories and nominees will be available at yearinsports.usatoday.com. Fans are encouraged to tweet the hashtag #YearInSports to share their comments and encourage others to register for the panel and vote.

"As sports enthusiasts, Kia wants to bring fans closer to the game, and by teaming up with USA TODAY, fans get a unique opportunity to vote for the best of the best from an amazing year in the world of sports," said Tim Chaney, executive director, marketing communications, Kia Motors America.

"We are thrilled to partner with a dynamic, exciting brand like Kia to provide sports fans a distinctive experience through our Ad Meter platform that enables them to choose for the first time the best of the year's most talked-about moments, news and personalities," said Merrill Squires, USA TODAY Sports Media Group senior vice president of sports marketing and partnerships.

Ad Meter's new digital hub, which debuted during Super Bowl XLVII in February 2013, drove significant success for the franchise with double and triple digit growth in audience and engagement traffic from the previous year.

This represents only the fourth time in its 25-year history that USA TODAY has utilized its Ad Meter platform beyond the Super Bowl. This year, the Ad Meter is hosting a nationwide vote to identify the best NFL-United Way public service ads of the past 40 years. Previous expansions came in 1996, in conjunction with the Summer Olympics, and in 1997, surrounding the series finale of "Seinfeld."

About USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
The USA TODAY Sports Media Group encompasses all sports initiatives across USA TODAY Sports and Gannett's more than 100 well-known local media brands. It also includes the sports photography wire service USA TODAY Sports Images, leading high school sports destination USA TODAY High School Sports; For The Win, the first mainstream sports media property focused exclusively on "social news," and designed specifically to resonate on social networks and non-traditional media channels and platforms; Sports On Earth, a joint venture with MLB Advanced Media dedicated to great sports writing in all its forms; and the hundreds of sites within USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties, including The Big Lead, Hoopshype.com and mixed martial arts site MMAjunkie.com, among others. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (GCI).

About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 765 dealers throughout the United States and serves as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA and LPGA.  In 2012, KMA recorded its best-ever annual sales total and gained U.S. market share for the 18th consecutive year. Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, advanced safety features and new technologies. Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its website – www.kia.com.

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SOURCE USA TODAY Sports Media Group