Kia's rebrand is confusing over 30,000 people a month, so much that...

Kia's rebrand is confusing over 30,000 people a month, so much that over 30,000 people are searching "KN Car" on Google.

So, If I'm Kia this is how I'd capitalize on the opportunity:

Why Kia's Rebrand?

On Jan 6th, KIA unveiled a new brand logo and global brand slogan that emphasized its commitment to its transformation for the future.

The new logo embodies and represents symmetry, rhythm’ and rising - aspects that display its commitment to customers.

Alongside the new logo was a new slogan: Movement That Inspires.

But there is a problem, an onslaught of people don’t recognize KIA’s new logo.

Because it went from obvious to unrecognizable.

Now, people mistake KIA’s new logo for “KN”

Which leads to over 55k+ searches a month related to the non-existent “KN Car Brand.”

People are searching for information in hopes of education and are met with nothing from KIA.

So, Here Are The Three Things I’d Do:

1. Create A Campaign Around The “KN” Confusion

Years ago, Mailchimp launched a campaign around the mispronunciation of its name.

Mailchimp:

- Created films like JailBlimp, MailShrimp, and KaleLimp
- Launched them in select theatres
- Created an interactive music video for fans

The result?

Now when someone searched something like “Mailshrimp” into Google - Google would ask if they meant “Mailchimp.”

KIA should:

- Create short films around it’s new mission and logo
- Create a parody around the confusion between “KN” and “KIA
- Create a music video or song with a K Pop group about the rebrand (KIA is from South Korea)

The confusion around its new logo is KIA’s opportunity to scale the communication around its new mission.

2. Launch A Branded Keyword Campaign

Unlike most keyword campaigns that focus on driving conversions - KIA should focus on driving education.

People who search “KN” related search should find an ad from KIA that says something like the pic below.

From here, they’re taken to a dedicated landing page where KIA explains the what and why behind the rebrand.

3. Launch A Youtube Campaign Targeting The Same Keywords & Search Queries

If you didn’t know, you can run Youtube Ads based on Google searches.

So, if someone searches “KN Car” on Google - KIA can target them with an ad on Youtube explaining the rebrand.

And that’s exactly what they should do.

In step one, I outlined how they should create short films around the rebrand - they'd use those same videos to target the same queries on Youtube.

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