Kumbokju Appoints AI Model 'Romi'
"First AI Model in the Alcohol Industry"
Geumbokju is appointing an artificial intelligence (AI) model as its new brand ambassador.
On the 28th, Geumbokju announced that it had produced an advertisement for its zero-fructose product, 'ZERO 2' soju, using an AI model. The company explained that this is the first time an AI model has been used in the domestic alcoholic beverage industry. Geumbokju's AI model is named 'ROMI.' The name ROMI combines 'Ro' from zero and 'mi,' meaning beauty, representing a character who is dedicated to her main role while being sociable, proactive, free-spirited, and active, approaching people without causing discomfort.
Geumbokju plans to actively carry out the 'Lighter Because It's Zero' campaign both online and offline with the new model ROMI. Especially since the MZ generation, who grew up in a digital environment, are not unfamiliar with virtual humans, the company expects that they will take an interest in the ZERO 2 brand and the AI model in the future. A Geumbokju representative stated, "Through AI model advertisements, which attract strong interest from young people, we aim to bring a fresh breeze to the alcoholic beverage market."
In the past, there was a saying that "anyone who becomes a Geumbokju advertising model is destined to become a star," and many celebrities who have worked as Geumbokju models have become top stars. This shows that Geumbokju has had a keen eye for discovering raw gems that will become diamonds. Past Geumbokju soju models include Han Ye-seul, Lee Bo-young, Lee Soo-kyung, Son Dam-bi, Park Han-byul, Lee Da-hae, Son Eun-seo, Kang So-ra, Baek Jin-hee, and Arin from Oh My Girl. Additionally, since October last year, Geumbokju has attracted attention by selecting trot singer Lee Chan-won as the new advertising model for Cham Soju, marking the first time a male has been chosen as a Cham Soju model.
The biggest advantage of using an AI model is that, unlike human celebrities, there is no need to worry about image damage caused by scandals or various incidents. Also, the modeling fees are relatively low. However, AI models have the drawback of not forming strong fandoms.
The most famous AI advertising character is Rozy. Developed by Locus X, a subsidiary of Naver Webtoon, Rozy gained fame by appearing in Shinhan Life Insurance advertisements in 2021. Rozy was created as a bright and cheerful Gen Z woman with an East Asian face and a Western body type standing 171 cm tall, who enjoys hobbies such as traveling, surfing, skateboarding, freediving, and climbing. Rozy appeared in five advertisements in 2021 and six in 2022, but her popularity did not last long. Last year, Shinhan Life ended its contract with Rozy after two years and appointed actor Park Sung-hoon as the new advertising model.
Another virtual human, Lee Sol, jointly developed by Naver and Giant Step, debuted as a shopping host on Naver Shopping Live in 2022 and was selected as a Mercedes-Benz advertising model but has since been inactive. Similarly, Sua, a virtual human developed by Onmind, a subsidiary of Kakao Games, gained recognition by appearing in advertisements for the Korea Tourism Organization, Kolon, and SK Telecom starting in 2022 but has had no significant activities since then.
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