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Kia
1994-2004
Kia picked "The Spirit of Kia" as its official car slogan when it entered America in 1994. The company priced its Sephia at $7,995, making it the cheapest new car you could buy. Marketing positioned it against used vehicles. The slogan survived Kia's 1997 bankruptcy during the Asian financial crisis. Hyundai bought 51% of the company, but Kia never missed a shipment. Sales reps joked the acronym meant "Killed In Action."
2000-2003
Kia adopted this promise while fighting quality problems. In the late 1990s, Consumer Reports ranked the brand last in reliability. The company responded with America's first 10-year/100,000-mile warranty in 1999. Dealers feared they'd lose money on repairs. The opposite happened. The warranty gave buyers confidence. Sales climbed. Quality improved. J.D. Power rankings showed Kia jumping 30 spots in three years. The slogan stated what buyers needed to hear, even if the cars hadn't earned it yet.
2004-2013
"The Power to Surprise" slogan launched Kia's reputation overhaul. The brand still meant cheap and unreliable. Kia hired Peter Schreyer, designer of the original Audi TT, to redesign every car. Executives banned him from visiting factories for six months. They feared he'd quit after seeing the poor quality. The campaign worked. U.S. sales tripled, from 270,000 units in 2004 to over 535,000 in 2012. The slogan acknowledged low expectations while promising to beat them.
2013-2015
Kia launched the "Drive the Change" campaign during its Australian Open and FIFA World Cup sponsorships. The brand wanted to look progressive and green. The campaign featured hamsters driving the Soul in slam-dunk commercials. Those ads became a cultural hit, spawning Halloween costumes and internet memes. The hamster campaign boosted Soul sales by 67% and made it Kia's top seller among buyers under 35.
2015-2021
"Give It Everything" arrived as Kia moved upmarket with the Stinger sports sedan and Telluride SUV. The Telluride won the 2020 World Car of the Year, shocking the auto industry. No Kia had won a major international award before. Motor Trend editors thought Kia sent the wrong car for testing. The Telluride drove better than luxury competitors costing $20,000 more. The slogan reflected the effort Kia poured into shedding its budget reputation.
2021-present
Most recently, Kia unveiled "Movement That Inspires" with a new logo so minimalist that people couldn't read it. Google searches for "KN car brand" spiked. Consumers thought the logo spelled "KN" instead of "KIA." Kia turned the confusion into social media content. The $200 million rebrand came with an electric vehicle push. The EV6 won the 2022 World Car of the Year, making Kia the first brand to win the award in back-to-back years with different vehicles. Luxury models over $40,000 now make up 30% of U.S. sales, up from 5% a decade ago.
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