Vibrant Telecom Marketing... The MZ Generation's Wall Has 'Collapsed'

LG Uplus Octopus Character 'Muneo'
6 Videos with 29.42 Million Views
Rising Popularity as the 'Second Holman'

KT Strengthens Communication with 2030 Customers
SKT Sees Explosive Growth in Hashtags
Differentiated Brand Strategies

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] "Where can I buy the goods?"

The yellow octopus 'Muneo' with red chili sauce on its head has captivated the MZ generation, aiming to recreate the glory of the 'Second Holman.' Beyond virtual character marketing, campaigns encouraging MZ generation participation on digital platforms such as YouTube and Instagram are spreading even among conservative telecom companies.

Big Hit by Meeting MZ Generation’s Expectations

According to LG Uplus on the 15th, as of the 12th, six ‘Muneo Lab’ videos uploaded on social network service (SNS) YouTube have accumulated a total of about 29.42 million views and over 10,000 likes. Since the first Muneo video was posted in March, it has reached nearly 30 million views in about seven months. Thanks to the title ‘Holman’s Friend,’ it naturally connects to memories of Kai Holman from the early 2000s. The OST ‘Octopus’s Dream,’ sung by singer Ahn Ye-eun, known as the ‘elementary president (a portmanteau of elementary student and president),’ broadened the base to include young children customers. On Instagram and other platforms, videos of children wearing virtual Muneo hats singing are easily searchable.

KT also ran the ‘Y Drip Cinema’ campaign on June 20th, where customers in their 20s participated directly in production. This campaign recorded 7 million views within two months of its release. It induces laughter by replacing lines in critical scenes of the advertisement with comments posted by viewers. Webtoon artists Lee Mal-nyeon and Joo Ho-min, popular among the 20s and 30s generation, were cast to target the MZ generation.

SK Telecom’s Instagram marketing campaign ‘0 Handong,’ launched to coincide with the iPhone 13 release, also received a positive response. Between the 1st and 12th of this month, the ‘F.Y.i (For Your iPhone)’ campaign on Instagram recorded about 33,000 hashtags. This was a sharp increase compared to the usual 1,000 to 2,000 hashtags, thanks to collaboration with digital marketing specialist Mobellaworks. The number was considered high even considering the popularity of the iPhone 13.

Telecom Companies: "Beyond Marketing to Dedicated Brands"

Telecom companies are not stopping at temporary marketing but are creating dedicated brands for the millennial generation, clearly distinguishing their identity from existing customers. SK Telecom’s ‘0’ and KT’s ‘Y’ brands are representative examples. SK Telecom’s 0 Handong promotes itself as a ‘neighborhood where anything is possible’ for the zero generation. LG Uplus consistently builds dedicated communication content such as the ‘Millennial Research Institute’ and ‘Catch You,’ which study the MZ generation.

Conservative telecom companies, which previously focused on cash discounts or giveaways, are observed to be actively increasing digital marketing to capture MZ generation customers. An SK Telecom official explained, "From the MZ generation’s perspective, prizes given by each company tend to be similar and predictable, so there is a need to consider differentiated approaches such as collaboration with digital marketing specialists."

Professor Lee Eun-hee of Inha University’s Consumer Studies Department said, "Discounts or giveaways may give the MZ generation the impression that the brand image is outdated rather than alive," adding, "The active pursuit and pride in results characteristic of the MZ generation combined with digital marketing seem to be increasingly utilized in the industry."