Food Industry Targeting Fandom... 'Paenocracy' Marketing on the Rise

Fanta, Starbucks, Ottogi, Orion, and More
Products Reflecting Fandom Demand Continue to Launch

The food industry is fervently pursuing 'fanocracy' marketing that targets fandoms. Fanocracy, a term combining 'fan' and the suffix '-ocracy' meaning governance, refers to an 'organization led by fans' or a 'culture ruled by fans.' As consumers increasingly share information through social networking services (SNS), which exerts growing influence, the food industry is also launching products that reflect the demands of fans spread across various fields, from K-pop to characters and food, based on fanocracy.

Coca-Cola's Fanta is running the "Want it? Fanta!" advertising campaign featuring the group RISE (left), and Starbucks Korea is launching a collaborative product with the group NCT.
[Photo by each company]

The most representative example is marketing activities aimed at the increasingly influential K-pop fandom. According to the industry on the 29th, Coca-Cola's 'Fanta' appointed the group 'RIIZE' as its new brand model in April and launched the advertising campaign 'Want it? Fanta!' Recently, Fanta unveiled 'Fanta Times,' filled with news about RIIZE, on its official website and provided opportunities for fans to personally collect behind-the-scenes photos of RIIZE members, offering a new brand experience. Additionally, targeting the Zalpa generation (Gen Z plus Alpha generation), they edited the advertising campaign video with RIIZE into short-form videos of about 6 seconds and released them on Coca-Cola’s official YouTube and Instagram channels, garnering much attention.

Starbucks Korea is collaborating with SM Entertainment’s group 'NCT' to release co-branded products until the 4th of next month. This collaboration is an exclusive promotion conducted only in Korea, releasing a limited drink called ‘Neo Cool Tasty Maesil Fizzio,’ which incorporates NCT in the beverage name to emphasize the partnership. Alongside this, various MD products with designs such as the ‘NCT Concert Bag’ and ‘NCT Bearista Doll Keyring’ were also unveiled. Some of the collaboration products with NCT sold out within 10 minutes of release, demonstrating their immense popularity.

Ottogi Hamheung Bibimmyun [Photo by Ottogi]

Cases responding to fans’ requests for re-releases are also increasing. Ottogi recently re-released 'Hamheung Bibimmyun,' which was launched in 2017 and discontinued in 2022. Ottogi Hamheung Bibimmyun is a product that had created a large fan base with praise for accurately reproducing the taste and characteristics of Hamheung Bibim Naengmyeon. According to Ottogi, the decision to re-release was made after receiving hundreds of consumer requests through various online communities, customer service centers, and official SNS channels.

Orion also brought back 'Poca Chip Sweet Cheese Flavor' after 8 years. Although sales ended in 2016 during a product lineup reorganization, consumer requests for re-release continued through the official website, SNS, and customer centers, leading to its return. Orion has continuously listened to consumer opinions through various channels and reflected them in products, consistently responding to re-release requests for items such as ‘Sun, the Taste of the Sun,’ ‘Chicken Pop,’ ‘BaeBae,’ and ‘Wakle.’

Additionally, Gongcha Korea actively reflected consumer opinions in May and carefully selected and re-released 10 popular menu items that had previously received much love. Gongcha Korea plans to keep these menus available regularly and expand menu options to enhance customer satisfaction in response to ongoing consumer requests.