Brand Breakdown: The Case of Kia

There’s a quality betwixt getting noticed and being known. In the satellite of marketing, wrong that somewhat subtle quality lies an water of opportunity. 

You mightiness retrieve the now-infamous Kia logo redesign, was initially received arsenic a nonaccomplishment arsenic acold arsenic marque designation strategies go. Some reason that, successful an effort to travel a much elevated and futuristic plan trend, Kia caused undue disorder astir their logo, a captious plus for immoderate marque to get close successful the game.

Design critics pounced connected its illegibility, and marketers person been penning astir the hit to Kia’s marque recognition and branded hunt ever since its debut. 

But what 1 manufacture adept calls confusion, different could telephone interest, curiosity — oregon attention. 

When we look astatine the data, we spot consumers flocked to Google to inquire questions astir some the “kn car” and “Kia logo” on the aforesaid trending timeline.

Data source: Google Trends

Does this awesome confusion? In the discourse of the story, it could. 

Attention and opportunity? Without a doubt.

Whether Kia acceptable retired to oregon not, they created 1.6 cardinal caller yearly branded searches with a azygous selling initiative. Those searches were driven successful portion by the quality science down immoderate rebrand oregon redesign: our predisposition to announcement things that are unfamiliar—like a caller car logo that’s abruptly everywhere.

Capturing (accidental) attraction with owned assets

Ultimately, Kia succeeded successful sparking attraction and getting noticed—even if radical didn’t cognize it was them astatine first. Sometimes the champion selling strategies leverage a small mystery, adjacent erstwhile not connected purpose.

But was Kia capable to power the request they created? 

Many reason the determination was an manufacture nonaccomplishment arsenic acold arsenic a marque designation strategy goes. But if you look astatine show and interaction from the position of user attention, the publication starts to flip.

As much consumers took announcement of the caller logo, they searched for accusation astir “kn car.” Keyword datasets expanded and yearly hunt measurement ballooned, sparking a viral quality rhythm astir however galore radical were searching for a car that didn’t exist.

But generating attraction doesn’t automatically construe to existent accidental oregon affirmative impact.

This is particularly existent if you neglect to seizure and power the request you’ve created, missing opportunities to link with consumers by not showing up with contented optimized to conscionable their needs.

To their credit, Kia marketers took announcement of the caller involvement and thoughtfully published contented astir kn cars connected owned domains astatine the aforesaid clip that Google began to subordinate the word with the Kia brand.

• New Kia Logo
• What is simply a KN Car?
• Redesigned Kia Logo Unveiled | What is simply a “KN” Car?

Data source: Semrush

As a result, idiosyncratic Kia dealership webpages protected a bully chunk of the hunt marketplace stock against quality organizations for “kn car” queries, owning 55% of the full marketplace stock for this topic. 

Outperforming publishers for online attraction has go captious successful being capable to marque nonstop connections betwixt the Kia marque and consumers.

Kia present controls astir 40% of the full hunt marketplace stock they generated, according to information from Carina, Terakeet’s proprietary insights platform.

Using OAO to outperform competitors

Ultimately, Kia skillfully harnessed the powerfulness of their owned platforms and created invaluable owned assets to capitalize connected the opportunities they created, but let’s research however an intentional, longer-term owned plus optimization (OAO) strategy could output even amended outcomes successful user connection.

While Kia controls astir 40% of the full hunt marketplace stock they generated, publishers inactive ain astir 58%.

Data source: Carina – Terakeet

This is arguably due to the fact that publishers are creating contented that’s amended optimized for what radical are truly looking for close now—or what they mean successful the circumstantial infinitesimal erstwhile searching phrases specified arsenic “kia logo.” ¹

But conscionable due to the fact that third-party publishers are winning, doesn’t mean Kia can’t. With an OAO strategy, immoderate speech astir your brand—whether you started it oregon not—is an accidental to summation power and connect.

“The expanding portfolio of integer assets astatine the halfway of OAO retains worth adjacent if the marque shifts focus, arsenic opposed to advertising, wherever worth lone comes portion the marque is spending. OAO gives the brand-consumer information and proven messaging to gully from erstwhile optimizing campaigns successful different channels. 

— Pat Danial, Chief Technology Officer

If we look astatine the crippled points of Kia’s logo redesign done the lens of OAO, the strategical look begins to uncover itself:

• Prior to launching the redesign, Kia updated their website to bespeak their caller logo.
• As consumers encountered the alteration IRL and crossed online channels, they took their winding journeys, leaving user information down successful the signifier of integrated hunt queries.
• Both Kia marketers and third-party publishers drew insights from that information and optimized owned assets — successful this case, pages connected their tract — to reply queries and link with consumers.

Connecting with consumers by gathering their needs

Conversations germinate and intent changes successful real-time, each the time. This is wherever nimble publishers person been capable to summation much of a foothold for the branded “Kia logo” topic. 

A much proactive, and holistic, owned plus optimization strategy could assistance Kia alteration attraction into existent connection. By employing a persistent rhythm of monitoring and interpreting user intent data, Kia tin make contented optimized to conscionable the needs of their consumers, grow their online presence, and physique invaluable relationships with their audience. 

While Kia successfully positioned themselves to conscionable and reply circumstantial user questions astir the “KN car,” adopting a broad OAO strategy would further safeguard their brand, and assistance them leverage evolving topics and user behaviour to make much connections and yet boost marque revenue.