“WON SOJU,” a distilled spirit created by singer Jay Park, is considered a successful case of celebrity marketing grounded in authenticity. Rather than simply leveraging name recognition, Park invested significant time in planning and production, creating a competitive product that contributed to the brand’s success. Beyond taste, WON SOJU deliberately differentiated itself through naming and design, successfully convincing Generation Z consumers that “soju can be hip.” Using Korean-grown rice and securing a traditional liquor license allowed the brand to sell online from launch. Online sales significantly boosted early brand awareness by allowing WON SOJU to showcase educational content alongside the product. The choice of traditional Korean clay pot aging aims to infuse WON SOJU with authentic Korean heritage as the brand prepares for global expansion
“The Pokémon Bread for Adults”
This refers to “WONSOJU,” launched in February this year and still enjoying commercial success. “WONSOJU,” released by liquor startup WON Spirits founded by singer Jay Park, has gained popularity by combining Park’s celebrity influence with trends of home drinking and emotional value-for-money preferences. Since launch, WONSOJU’s daily allocation of 2,000 bottles has consistently sold out within one minute on its official online store, creating a sensation in the distilled soju market. The company has expanded its lineup with “WONSOJU Spirit” and “WONSOJU Classic,” helping grow South Korea’s distilled soju market.
When WONSOJU first launched, industry insiders dismissed its success as merely a temporary effect of celebrity marketing. They believed consumers were merely responding to singer Jay Park’s hip image, predicting the popularity would be short-lived. This skepticism stemmed from WONSOJU being an unfamiliar distilled soju, unlike the diluted versions that dominate South Korea’s market, and priced at 14,900 won (375㎖, 22% alcohol) — roughly 10 times costlier than traditional green-bottle soju (based on major supermarket prices). Additionally, many argued the daily sales limit would prevent WONSOJU from achieving mass market success.
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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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