Wearing 'Maeil Milk' and Applying 'Gompyo'... Collaboration Economics Beyond Imagination

Maeil Milk launches products with Bonchams and design branding... Sold on Musinsa
Daehan Flour and Binggrae target MZ generation... Sales increase with strong fandom

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] "Drinking every day has now become wearing every day." Maeil Dairies, a dairy product specialist company with over 50 years of history, has formed a marketing partnership with Supply Demand's casual brand 'Born Champs' and released various collaborative editions including clothing and goods. The distinctive feature is that the product designs owned by Maeil Dairies have been faithfully transferred onto the clothing.

The distribution industry is actively targeting the MZ generation by collaborating with various brands. According to Maeil Dairies on the 26th, the collaboration products planned with Born Champs consist of a total of 16 items and 31 types. They will be showcased on Musinsa, the largest online fashion store in Korea.

Born Champs is a young contemporary brand that proposes new trends based on contemporary youth culture, with blue as its standout brand color. Maeil Dairies provided product design materials and ideas about products, including the milk product designs sold in the 1970s and the design of the 'Maeil Milk Fresh Pack' launched in 2018 and still sold today. Born Champs devised detailed designs to apply to products based on Maeil Dairies' designs and ideas and commercialized them.

The 16 products created after months of discussion include hoodies, sweatshirts, fleeces, as well as blankets and smartphone cases. In particular, the design of the smartphone case applies the packaging of the sterilized milk product, which Maeil Dairies first launched in Korea in 1973 as a room-temperature storable product, directly onto the case, evoking a retro feeling and stimulating nostalgia for the 70s and 80s.

A Maeil Dairies official said, "We planned this to evoke nostalgia among middle-aged consumers through the sale of products reflecting retro sensibility on Maeil Dairies' sterilized milk product, which was an innovative product in the dairy industry in the 1970s, and to provide freshness to the MZ generation. We hope that the retro products sold this time will help stimulate interest and also promote milk consumption."

The most active player is Daehan Flour Mills. Daehan Flour Mills is releasing various collaborative products one after another, including beer, toothpaste, and cosmetics, under its flour brand 'Gompyo.' In particular, the Gompyo wheat beer launched in partnership with convenience store CU caused a sensation in the domestic imported beer market. In May, the initial production volume of 100,000 units sold out in three days, and over 300,000 units were sold within a week of release. Regardless of the field?whether toothpaste, cosmetics, or clothing?sales surged just by attaching the Gompyo logo, leading the industry to evaluate that collaborative product launches could become a new driving force for sales.

Binggrae has also enjoyed sales effects by creating a solid fandom through years of collaborative marketing. Binggrae began marketing targeting the MZ generation through collaboration marketing since 2016. The banana-flavored milk body wash and body cream made with CJ Olive Young immediately became a hot topic upon release, with the initial 20,000 units sold out in 10 days. An additional order of 300,000 units was also fully sold. A season 2 product was released a year later. In 2017, the 'Melona × FILA Korea' sneakers, slippers, and hats made with FILA Korea also sold out the initial 6,000 units within two weeks. Since then, Binggrae has released scrubbers, toothbrushes, and cakes under the Melona brand. Recently, they have taken even more daring experiments. They launched 'Cotte Gerang,' which made the snack Kkotgerang look like a luxury fashion brand, in collaboration with singer Zico. Masks, bags, and T-shirts sold out about 1,000 units within a day of release.