[Distribution Hot People] "Over 1,000 Applicants for Cast Auditions"... CU's Boundary-Free Challenge

Interview with Yeon Jeong-uk, Head of Marketing Team at BGF Retail
Industry's First Web Drama 'DanJjan DanJjan Yojeongsa' Produced
Actual Part-timers and Store Owners Are Enthusiastic Viewers
"Convenience Stores, a Young Business... Strengthening Horizontal Business"

Yeon Jeong-uk, Head of Marketing Team, BGF Retail

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] There are 43,000 convenience stores nationwide (the four major convenience store chains, as of last November). The term "Convenience Store Republic" is not an exaggeration, as convenience stores have deeply embedded themselves in our daily lives. For young people in their teens and twenties with light pockets, convenience stores are not just places to buy goods. They are places where memories with friends, lovers, and family are made.

BGF Retail, which operates CU, released its first web drama, "Sweet and Salty Fairy," focusing on the theme of "empathy" among people with the convenience store as the backdrop. As the industry's first web drama, it was released in five episodes on the YouTube channel "CUtube." The final episode was released on the 19th.

On the 20th, in an interview with Asia Economy at the Seoul headquarters, Yeon Jeongwook, head of BGF Retail's marketing team, said, "We held an audition contest at the end of last year, and thankfully about 1,000 people applied, resulting in an average competition rate of about 160 to 1." He added, "We started filming during winter break at the CU Duksung Women's University Student Union branch, and many university students recognized it."

"Sweet and Salty Fairy" is a romance fantasy genre web drama with each episode running about 11 minutes. The store owner is a 1,000-year-old Imugi (a mythical Korean serpent) who listens to the concerns of part-time workers. The female lead, "Haru," is an ordinary liberal arts college student with many worries about friendships, romance, and future career paths.

The female lead "Haru" has a crush on "Iru," a name taken from CU's official character "Heyru Friends." Haru's male friend, "Pyeon Dojun," naturally evokes the image of a convenience store. In each episode, Haru enjoys healing foods accompanied by comforting words from the owner and employee "Bin." Counseling on worries is a bonus. A representative item is "Butter Coffee," which is the bestseller "Get Coffee"?sold 10 cups daily per store and over 100 million cups annually?with a slight topping of butter. Other featured items include "Bakery Cheese Fondue" and "Fruit Topping Salad." Yeon Jeongwook said, "When people think of 'convenience stores,' they often imagine inexpensive products like lunch boxes or triangle kimbap, but we wanted to emphasize that various dishes are possible. We wanted to show that with just a little extra cooking, you can enjoy great food."

Each episode's video features many comments from what appear to be actual store owners and part-time workers. Yeon said, "We have posted various videos, including the 'Doyeon’s Convenience Store' and 'Hyuksu’s Convenience Store' series, as well as 'CU TV,' a communication channel with store owners, so naturally, interest from store owners and part-time workers continues." For the second quarter, they are planning a collaboration video concept based on trot music, which is currently trending.

The reason CU puts effort into its YouTube channel is to capture the millennial generation, who are more familiar with videos than text, as their main customers. Yeon explained, "Since 2018, the influence of YouTube has continued to grow. We create short content from 10-minute videos into 10-second clips and strengthen communication with millennials through Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms." As of that day, the CUtube channel surpassed 130,000 subscribers.

Convenience stores are an industry where young people in their 20s and 30s account for about 60% of total sales. The company is also making horizontal efforts to give more opportunities to young staff at the assistant manager level. Yeon emphasized, "Convenience stores are strongly influenced by young workers in their 20s and college students. They quickly catch new products and voluntarily act as viral promoters, so the company will continue efforts to engage them."