Lotte Chilsung Beverage's 'Sero', known for its 'Zero Sugar' Soju, has become a powerhouse in the soju market by targeting Generation Z at every stage of product development, from recipe formulation to marketing. The company engaged Generation Z consumers from the early stages of product planning through the mission teamplay method, and developed a zero sugar recipe with a mild taste that minimized bitterness through eight blind tests. The company also developed an ambassador character, "Sero Gumi," who is not a so-called "big model" such as a famous actor or idol, and opened a pop-up store where Generation Z consumers can experience the related world offline.
“'Sero Gumi', a thousand-year-old gumiho11Mythical creature from Korean folklore, often depicted as a nine-tailed fox.닫기 . After losing her parents to hunters as a child, she was saved by another child. However, she was filled with resentment and became a hunter who ate human liver and harmed others. One day, she met the child who saved her life, but she couldn't recognize him as an adult and killed him. After that time, she was devastated and imprisoned herself in Gangneung Dongdaegu Cave. In the cave, she drank natural rock water for hundreds of years, purified her unclean thoughts and decided to become a 'vegan' who no longer harmed humans. To atone for humans and pray for their abundance, she created a 'Sero' with the energy of Gangneung Daegwallyeong, Gangwon-do, where natural bedrock water flowed…”
This is the worldview that tells the story of the birth of Soju Sero, the new "Zero Sugar" soju launched by Lotte Chilsung Beverages (Lotte Chilsung) 16 years after Cheoeumcheorum. While in the traditional soju market, so-called "big models" such as popular actresses and idols advertised the product, Lotte Chilsung has focused on worldview marketing, developing a character named Sero Gumi as an ambassador and giving her a related narrative, which has become popular among Generation Z consumers. In fact, as of December 2023, Sero Gumi videos uploaded to Lotte Chilsung's social media channels, including YouTube and Instagram, have been viewed 13.7 million times.
This content was translated into English by AI (using DeepL) from an article that was originally written in Korean in the DBR (Donga Business Review). Therefore, please understand that there may be some awkward expressions.
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