'Spirit of Challenge Ignites'... Mulnaengmyeon and Pokemon Bread Are Fun Because They're Big

Strengthening Giant Products Targeting the Fun-sumer Trend
Food Industry's 'GeoGeoIkSeon' Jumbo Marketing

The food industry is targeting consumer psychology with oversized products that have larger volumes than existing products, reflecting the 'Fun+Consumer' trend popular among the MZ generation?consumers who seek entertainment through product purchases. These products satisfy the enjoyment of visual appeal and unique experiences, and in some cases, even meet cost-effectiveness (performance relative to price), positioning themselves as alternatives to soaring dining-out prices.

A GS25 representative is presenting the super-sized concept product 'Yours Sesutdaeya Mul Naengmyeon'.
[Photo by GS25]

According to the related industry on the 18th, Samlip, operated by SPC Group, recently released the second edition of its big-size Pok?mon bread, the 'Giant Gohs Chocolate Cake.' This product is five times larger by weight than the existing Gohs Chocolate Cake. The new product includes 53 types of 'Mega Evolution Ttibuseal'?stickers larger than the previous Ttibuseal?randomly inserted to add fun to the purchase. This product follows the 'Giant Team Rocket Choco Roll,' launched by Samlip on the 3rd. The Giant Team Rocket Choco Roll is also a big-size product using the popular 'Team Rocket Choco Roll' from the Pok?mon bread series, with its weight increased fivefold compared to the original.

The product that started Samlip's big-size bakery series was the 'Cream Daebbang,' released in February. It is a limited edition commemorating the 60th anniversary of the classic cream bread, which represents SPC Samlip. The concept was a large classic cream bread weighing 6.6 times more than the original classic cream bread. After launching Cream Daebbang, thousands of related posts, including purchase verification videos and 'mukbang challenge' videos, were uploaded on social networking services (SNS), gaining popularity mainly among the MZ generation.

A Samlip brand representative said, "As Cream Daebbang became a hot topic among the MZ generation following the Fun+Consumer trend, we also introduced big-size Pok?mon bread products. We will continue to present various marketing activities to provide enjoyable experiences to consumers."

Samlip's big-size Pok?mon bread part 2, 'Giant Gengar Choco Cake' (left), and the limited edition 'Cream Daebbang' released to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the classic cream bread [Photo by SPC Samlip]

At GS25, a convenience store operated by GS Retail, a giant-sized mul-naengmyeon (cold noodles) was launched as a home meal replacement (HMR) for the popular summer menu. It is the 'Yours Washbasin Mul Naengmyeon,' with a capacity of 8 servings, eight times larger than the typical 150g cold noodles on the market. To maximize the fun element along with the oversized concept, the product includes a Korean stainless steel container the size of a washbasin. The company explained that it was designed so consumers can wash and reuse the container as an actual washbasin after eating the noodles, allowing for various content creation.

The new product is priced at 17,900 KRW. Customers who pre-order the Washbasin Mul Naengmyeon through the Our Neighborhood GS application and pay with GS Pay can purchase it at a discounted price of 12,900 KRW. According to the Korea Consumer Agency's price information portal 'Chamgagaek,' the price of a bowl of cold noodles at representative dining establishments in Seoul last month was 11,692 KRW. This means consumers can enjoy 8 servings of convenient cold noodles at the price of one bowl at a specialty restaurant.

The Washbasin Mul Naengmyeon is GS25's first product to expand the jumbo ramen concept, introduced last year, into the instant food category. The jumbo ramen series, including Paldo Jumbo Dosirak, Gongganchun, and Omori Jumbo Dosirak, which package eight servings of ramen in one package, generated sales of 30 billion KRW within a year, sparking a big-size boom in the distribution industry. Other products incorporating the jumbo ramen concept include Netflix Jumbo Popcorn (snack), Netflix Jumbo Squid Fry (side dish), and Cafe25 Iced Americano Jumbo (coffee beans). Among these, Netflix Jumbo Popcorn has ranked first in sales among all GS25 snacks since its launch in July last year, increasing private brand (PB) snack sales by 16 times.

A food industry official said, "Initially, large-size products were introduced mainly by creators and on SNS, attracting many consumers curious to try them. In the current situation of high inflation and increasing dining-out expenses, we expect more consumers to seek practicality through big-size products."