Brian Joss –
KIA Motors Corporation has retained its position at number 74 on Interbrand’s Best Global Brands list for 2015, with the company successfully increasing its brand value by 5% this year from US$5.4 billion to US$5.7 billion – a remarkable feat given the unfavourable business environment over the past year. The achievement marks an outstanding growth of 530% since 2007.
KIA first entered Interbrand’s annual 100 ‘Best Global Brands’ rankings in 2012, coming in 87th place with brand value of US$4.1 billion, and subsequently rose four spots to 83rd position in the 2013 study following a 15% increase in brand value to US$4.7 billion. During 2014, KIA’s brand value increased by a further 15% to US$5.4 billion, elevating the Korean automaker nine places to 74th position, a growth figure that was more than double that of the top 100 companies’ average brand value growth rate of 7%.
The 2015 edition of Interbrand’s annual 100 ‘Best Global Brands’ study was executed through a comprehensive brand performance analysis using best practice research methodology by expert analysts. The study measures a corporation’s financial performance in terms of the raw financial return to investors; the role that a brand plays in the actual purchase decision; and brand strength, which is the ability of a brand to secure the delivery of expected future earnings.
While KIA Motors Corporation has shown a slight decrease in operating profit for the past few years due to unfavourable foreign exchange rates, economic crises in some markets, and the slow-down of the Chinese automotive industry, the improvement in brand performance outweighed the negative gap.”
A number of factors have contributed to KIA’s brand growth during the tougher economic climate. This includes the successful launching of the all-new KIA Sorento and Grand Sedona, as well as the all-new KIA Optima, combined with high anticipation for the all-new Sportage. Additionally, KIA’s domination of global design competitions have made a significant contribution to KIA’s brand performance, complemented by a series of successful marketing initiatives that include the FIFA World Cup, Australian Open and, most recently, the very successful Copa America tournament.
Additionally, an increasing number of awards for KIA’s outstanding quality – most notably it’s ranking as number 1 among mass-produced cars in the 2015 J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey – has been driving the Korean automaker’s rise to the top.
