Kia’s
global brand value grows 12% to US$6.3 billion
Company’s
brand value has increased seven-fold since 2006
Kia
rises five places in Best Global Brands ranking, up from 74th
The global value
of the Kia
Motors brand has grown by 12% over the last year, according to Interbrand’s
exclusive list of the 100 ‘Best Global Brands’. According to the 2016 study,
released today, Kia has risen five spots to become the 69th most
valuable brand in the world. The Korean manufacturer’s estimated brand value
grew from US$5.7 billion in 2015 to US$6.3 billion in 2016. This represents a seven-fold (603%) increase
since 2006, the year in which the brand declared design-driven management as a key strategy behind the
company’s future growth.
“Despite economic uncertainty
and stagnation in the automotive market across a number of regions, this
welcome rise in Kia’s brand value is a clear reflection of extensive
company-wide efforts to ensure consistent and continuous growth in our brand power.
This result provides us with further motivation to continue our mission to
become the most desirable automotive brand in the eyes of consumers,” said Charles Suh, Senior Vice President of
the Corporate Marketing Division, Kia
Motors.
Mike Rocha, Global
Director of Brand Valuation, Interbrand,
said, “Kia’s impressive
growth in brand value in recent years can be seen as a direct result of
consumers’ strengthening attachment to the highly
desirable designs and features of Kia’s product line-up, and engagement with
worldwide communications activities centered on developing the brand’s image.
Kia’s brand performance in the European market in particular has been driven by
a strong SUV line-up, as well as engaging experiential customer communications
programs, on- and off-line.”
Vibrant,
distinctive, reliable – illustrating Kia’s brand attributes
This significant – and sustained – growth is
a result of company-wide efforts to strengthen the brand and cultivate a more
emotional attachment to Kia and its products among consumers. Since 2012, Kia’s
global brand campaign, A Different Beat, has enabled the company to emphasize
the vibrant, reliable and distinctive nature of its cars.
Perhaps the most important
achievement over the last 12 months has been Kia’s first-place ranking in the
USA’s J.D. Power 2016 Initial Quality Study. Ranked ahead of all other
manufacturers, this marks the first time in 27 years that a non-premium brand has
taken the top spot in the automotive industry’s benchmark evaluation of new
vehicle quality. Kia’s rise to the top of this year’s ranking was driven by
class-leading performances from the Sportage compact crossover and Soul urban
crossover. Kia was also named by J.D. Power as the third highest ranking brand
among all non-premium manufacturers in its Automotive Performance, Execution
and Layout (APEAL) awards for new vehicle satisfaction in the USA.
Kia’s excellence in design
continued to be recognized in 2016, with the all-new Sportage and Optima sedan
both receiving influential ‘red dot’ and ‘iF’ design awards. Other new products
and technologies further enhanced the brand’s image, with the company launching
the Niro hybrid utility vehicle and the all-new Cadenza. At the 2016 Consumer
Electronics Show (CES), Kia presented its vision for future autonomous driving
technologies, and announced its new
‘DRiVE WISE’ sub-brand, embodying Kia’s philosophy to realize intelligently
safe vehicles with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).
The expansion of the
company’s ‘GT’ model line-up – with high-performance turbocharged engines,
sports suspensions, and
performance-inspired design – has further boosted the desirability and dynamism
of the Kia brand.
To accompany the ongoing
growth in the company’s product line-up, and increased capabilities of each
vehicle, official partnerships with the world’s most high-profile sporting
events have provided additional momentum to the growth of the Kia brand.
Sponsorship arrangements with FIFA, UEFA, NBA, LPGA and the Australian Open
tennis championship have provided the company with a wealth of opportunities to
engage with the company’s young-at-heart target customers across the globe.
Interbrand
Best Global Brands
Interbrand’s 17th
annual Best Global Brands report identifies the 100 most valuable global
brands, analyzing the many ways in which the strength of a brand benefits
organizations – from delivering on customer expectations to driving greater
economic value. Interbrand’s methodology was the first ISO-certified brand
valuation method. The ranking is based on a combination of attributes, each
contributing to a brand’s cumulative value: financial performance of branded
products and services, the role the brand plays in influencing customer choice,
and the strength of the brand in commanding a premium price or secure earnings
for the company.
About Kia Motors Corporation
Kia
Motors Corporation (www.kia.com) – a maker of world-class quality vehicles for
the young-at-heart – was founded in 1944 and is Korea's oldest manufacturer of
motor vehicles. Over 3 million Kia vehicles a year are produced at 14 Kia manufacturing
and assembly operations in five countries which are then sold and serviced
through a network of distributors and dealers covering around 180 countries.
Kia today has over 50,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of nearly
US$44 billion. It is the major sponsor of the Australian Open and an official
automotive partner of FIFA – the governing body of the FIFA World Cup™. Kia
Motors Corporation's brand slogan – "The Power to Surprise" –
represents the company's global commitment to surprise the world by providing
exciting and inspiring experiences that go beyond expectations.
For more information
about Kia Motors and our products, please visit our Global Media Center at www.kianewscenter.com.