Kia turns past records into future strategy... The role and value of the 'Brand Heritage' job

Movements are drawing attention as automotive companies go beyond simply preserving past legacies and aim to transform them into core assets for future brand strategies. Kia's 'Brand Heritage' team is tasked with strengthening the brand's uniqueness by excavating past records and performing storytelling that connects the present and the future.

An 'Inspiration Library' that connects the dots of the past to draw the lines of the future

According to a video released on the HYUNDAI YouTube channel, the Kia Brand Heritage team performs the role of a 'Brand Archivist and Storyteller' who uncovers Kia's past assets and connects the brand's present and future based on them. The team members do not stop at simply restoring old objects; their ultimate goal is to build an 'Inspiration Library' where employees can gain new ideas by discovering and restoring scattered symbolic vehicles and historical materials.

This process involves highly advanced tracking and verification work. An individual appearing in the video mentioned a case where they faced difficulties during the preparations for the Kia 80th Anniversary ceremony held last December due to a lack of usable blueprints or data. To solve this, they explained that they went through a process of verifying data like piecing together a puzzle, such as directly visiting collectors who possess old assets or investigating past newspaper articles and company magazines.

In an era of standardized technology, a brand's unique narrative is a powerful weapon

The most important criteria considered in the restoration and digital archiving of heritage assets are 'accuracy of historical research' and 'context of the era.' When restoring a specific vehicle, 'Originality'—reproducing the materials, colors, and technical features of the time of release exactly as they were—is placed as the top priority value. Beyond simple digital storage, the core is to find meaningful context from a modern perspective by recording the development stories and the designer's intentions associated with the vehicle.

The role of heritage is expected to grow even larger in the future mobility environment where electrification and autonomous driving technologies are accelerating. The participant predicted that heritage will become a powerful weapon for the brand, stating, "In a future where technology becomes standardized, ultimately, only the unique narrative that only our brand possesses will be able to resonate with customers." In the future, this job is expected to expand in a direction that strengthens the Kia brand through various contents that customers can empathize with.

The Kia Brand Heritage team plans to establish the brand's identity by performing the role of attaching a 'powerful engine' for Kia to move toward the future, beyond merely tracking past records.