Coca-Cola Girls
The food and beverage industry in South Korea is witnessing the tremendous influence of K-pop girl groups, gaining immense popularity globally.
According to industry sources on July 24, the girl group NewJeans holds a truly exceptional impact among various distinguished girl groups in the country. Serving as the brand ambassador for both Coca-Cola Korea and McDonald’s Korea, NewJeans’ impact has caught the attention of the global headquarters of these brands, leading to significant involvement from their Korean subsidiaries in global marketing efforts.
As a result of NewJeans’ tremendous popularity, McDonald’s Korea had the privilege of leading the global marketing campaign named “NewJeans Chicken Dance” across 10 Asian countries, starting from June 1.
This ongoing campaign is set to continue into the latter half of this year, sequentially taking place in countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Vietnam. Each country will feature NewJeans’ campaign advertisements and offer specially packaged chicken menu items for sale.
Even Starbucks Korea, which rarely collaborates with celebrity models for its advertising, recently attracted attention by partnering with Blackpink and unveiling a collaborative merchandise line. Starbucks corporate entities in 9 countries across the Asia-Pacific region joined forces in this collaboration, with Starbucks Korea taking the lead. While other countries only offer items like cold cups and water bottles, Starbucks Korea stands out by offering food items such as Baumkuchen and Choco Buns.
Other food and beverage companies focused on the domestic market are also quickening their pace by prominently featuring K-pop girl groups to target the MZ generation in South Korea.
Goobne chose Le Sserafim as its brand ambassador and unveiled a new product, the Black Truffle Steak Chicago Pizza, in May. Within a mere two months, the advertisement on YouTube has already achieved a staggering 70 million views. Meanwhile, Papa John’s Korea joined forces with girl group Ive to mark its 20th anniversary in the country, making a strong push to target the MZ generation.