Food and Beverage Industry Accelerates Offline Collaborative Marketing in Partnership with Restaurant Industry

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] The food and beverage industry, entering the endemic era, is strengthening collaborative marketing with the dining-out sector. With dining-out demand significantly increasing following the government's lifting of social distancing measures, companies are attempting to expand consumer touchpoints through collaboration with dining establishments that share overlapping target customer bases.

According to The Dining-Out, a dining analysis service operated by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), total dining-out sales in April, after the social distancing measures were lifted, reached 8.769 trillion KRW, marking the highest since January 2020 when COVID-19 began in earnest.

As more consumers open their wallets for dining out instead of home-cooked meals, food and beverage companies are partnering with dining establishments to conduct collaborative marketing that leverages harmonious flavors between brands, aiming to create synergy.

HiteJinro Beverage is conducting a collaborative event with the gourmet curation platform Caviar and the dining specialist company 'SG Dinehill.' The promotion offers adult customers who order the promotional menu a complimentary domestic representative non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage, 'Hite Zero 0.00.'

An additional event using social networking services (SNS) has also been prepared. Customers who post a certification shot of Hite Zero 0.00 received at 17 stores on Instagram, along with the store name and mandatory hashtags such as 'HiteZero' and 'FreeGourmet,' will be entered into a draw to win prizes.

Jipyeong Brewery and SPC Group’s fine casual brand ‘Shake Shack’ re-released the limited-edition 'Makgeolli Shake' that was first launched last year. The Makgeolli Shake is a beverage blending soft vanilla custard made directly at Shake Shack stores with 'Jipyeong Saeng Makgeolli' made from domestic rice and rice grain toppings. This product is available at all Shake Shack locations until August 31.

SFG Shinwha Food Group’s barbecue brand ‘Donblanc’ and Harim’s home meal replacement brand ‘The Misik’ formed a marketing partnership and introduced The Misik’s artisan ramen as a limited menu item at Donblanc. The collaborative event titled 'Donblanc x Artisan Ramen Gourmet Battle' was held for one month starting from the 9th of last month at 'Donblanc Pangyo Branch' located in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province.