Why Korea S%cks At Marketing Itself
Yesterday, The Korea Herald released the following article: “Hansik globalization project ‘utter failure’.” The article begins with “The National Assembly Budget Office on Sunday admitted that the ‘Globalization of Hansik’ program had failed and needed major revision, dealing a blow to the pet project of former first lady Kim Yoon-ok, who dreamed that ‘all people around the globe would enjoy Korean cuisine.’” The article even went on to say the program was a “waste of time.”
Photo: Ad placed in New York times to promote Hansik.
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Korea lacks diversity
Korea is a nation boasting nearly 50 million residents. That’s a staggering number considering its small size and even more mind blowing when one takes into consideration nearly half of the population lives in and around Seoul. However, given this large populace, less than 5% of the population is non-Korean. This lack of diversity plays a major role in why Korea cannot make a compelling advertising program to the outside world – the nation simply does not have the requisite experience dealing with multicultural issues. I often liken Korea to the United States in the 1940s and 1950s when it was struggling with various Civil Rights problems. Something that may have led to the findings in this article on Korean “racism.”
As a result, many in the Korean marketing industry try to market Korea as they would domestically. Essentially taking the approach that if it works in Korea, it should work everywhere. That’s precisely what should not happen, since one of the most effective Korean marketing techniques is extolling a brand’s superiority over another. The advertising has little to do with the actual product but with the status of possessing the brand. That might be an effective way to target potential buyers of a consumer product, but when the product being sold is a nation, the underlying message becomes “Korea is better than your country.” That message is insulting and off-putting at best.
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http://www.qiranger.com/2013/05/21/why-korea-s%cks-at-marketing-itself/
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