STILLWATER, USA – April 12, 2022 - KICKER® bids a heartfelt farewell to industry veteran and 18-year Director of Global Marketing, Kevin Campbell.
Since joining KICKER in 2004, Campbell has guided the company’s “Livin’ Loud®” message by creating experiences that embody the music that car-audio fans crave.
“It’s been 18 years of total fun,” Campbell said. “I’ve always admired the (KICKER) brand and the way they do business. People talk about KICKER being family; it really has that feel. The kind of place where we all have to work hard, but there’s an atmosphere – a social feeling that is genuine and caring that comes from the top.”
Veteran employees and former marketing associate directors Ron Burnett and Roger Demaree with fill the position as co-directors, splitting Campbell’s duties to continue the department rolling on its current path. Burnett and Demaree bring 48 years of combined industry experience to their new roles.
For the past four decades, Campbell held pivotal roles in some of the most iconic brands in car audio, having led the sales and marketing teams for Rockford Fosgate, Precision Power, TubeDriver and Morel America prior to joining KICKER.
As KICKER searched for a marketing director in 2004, company founder Steve Irby had a desire for 12-volt industry experience and a strong background of leadership for the role.
“We were looking for someone in the industry that knew marketing, somebody that was well seasoned in the industry,” Irby said. “Kevin’s name came up immediately, and with his strong background in marketing, he took to it right away.”
During his tenure, Campbell focused on connecting the brand with consumers and the 12-volt industry in equal measure. For example, he acknowledged that attending MEA KnowledgeFest served to keep the brand connected with retailers and distributors, while participating in the HOT ROD Power Tour raised awareness for the rod and custom community. KICKER’s continued commitment to attending the annual SEMA Show served to strengthen bonds between the company’s automotive manufacturing partners and an increasingly large number of KICKER’s core dealers.
In 2020 when COVID-19 resulted in the cancellation of most events, Campbell greenlit a massive in-house undertaking to broadcast a weekly, online audio-centric show dubbed “KICKER UnMasked.” Taking the brand virtual through streaming video was arguably the most significant event that KICKER marketing had completed in the past two years.
The presentation of KICKER directly connected to live music continues to be a high priority. Campbell successfully aligned the brand with artists like Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Tim Montana and Nashville label Reviver Music. Events like the KICKER Country Stampede (music festival) gave music lovers a chance to experience the same passion and performance that drives KICKER to recreate great sound in a vehicle.
“Since he came on board, we’ve evolved into a more focused marketing machine,” Irby continued. “He had strong opinions and experience in the industry that go way back. He was fair and easy to work with, with a quick wit and an unmatched sense of humor. We will really miss his wisdom and experience.”
KICKER Performance Audio products, a division of Stillwater Designs and Audio, Inc.®, are available for the mobile and home audio aftermarket at authorized retailers worldwide, and also as Original Equipment for boat and automobile manufacturers. Consumers seeking more information on KICKER or Livin’ Loud may call the Consumer Information Line at 1-800-256-5425 or visit the brand website at www.kicker.com. Consumers can follow KICKER socially at Facebook.com/kickeraudio, Twitter.com/kickeraudio, Instagram.com/kickeraudio, or Pinterest.com/kickeraudio, and use the hashtags #kickeraudio and #livinloud.
Rockford Fosgate is a registered trademark of Rockford Corporation.
Precision Power and PPI are registered trademarks of Precision Power.
Morel and Morel America are proprietary marks of Morel (I.L.) Ltd.
HOT ROD is a registered trademark of the Motor Trend Group, LLC.
Reviver Music is a registered trademark of Reviver Entertainment Group.
