The 'Modisumer' Craze Sweeping K-Ramen
Saving Costs on New Product Development and Marketing, Killing Two Birds with One Stone
Nongshim to Launch Shin Ramyun Tombba Big Bowl Noodles on the 23rd
Ottogi and Samyang Foods Also Join In
#Last year, singer Sung Si-kyung uploaded a video titled 'Shin Ramyun Toowoomba Pasta Tastier Than Outback' on YouTube, which recorded 740,000 views in just over 10 minutes. Despite being a recipe that has been popular for several years, its popularity remained strong.
The recipe involves stir-frying bacon, onions, and button mushrooms in olive oil over high heat, then boiling half a spoon of gochujang, milk, and fresh cream before adding Shin Ramyun soup powder to complete the sauce. Next, add noodles boiled for 3 minutes, simmer for 1 minute, then add cheese to finish.
The recipe is simple but still somewhat labor-intensive. To reduce this effort, Nongshim plans to launch a new product called 'Shin Ramyun Toomba Large Bowl Noodles' on the 23rd. As Shin Ramyun Toowoomba became a long-standing popular modishumer recipe on social networking services (SNS), it was made into an actual product. Since it is already a famous recipe, pre-release reactions on internet communities have been explosive with comments like "Finally, it makes sense," "I must try it," and "It would be even better with more shrimp."
According to related industries on the 18th, K-ramen companies such as Nongshim, Ottogi, and Samyang Foods have been steadily continuing 'modishumer marketing,' which commercializes popular SNS recipes. Modishumer is a neologism combining 'modify' and 'consumer.' About 10 years ago, Jjapaguri (Jjapaghetti + Neoguri), which peaked in popularity through the MBC entertainment program 'Dad, Where Are We Going?', was the original. Thanks to Jjapaguri's success, Jjapaghetti grew into the second-best-selling brand with cumulative sales of 72.5 billion won in the first half of 2013.
Ramen companies are actively commercializing modishumer recipes as they show potential to cause seismic shifts in sales. Nongshim's Shin Ramyun Toomba Large Bowl Noodles were developed to allow easy enjoyment of the Shin Ramyun Toowoomba recipe anytime, anywhere. Based on Shin Ramyun's spiciness, it adds the savory and rich flavors of fresh cream, cheddar cheese, and parmesan cheese to create a spicy and thick texture, complemented by ingredients like mushrooms, garlic, and bok choy. It is also microwaveable, allowing consumers to enjoy an even richer sauce flavor.
Previously, Nongshim released 'Ramen King Gim Tongkkae' after a recipe adding seaweed and sesame to ramen became popular. It features a distinctive savory flavor with roasted seaweed flakes, roasted sesame, and chili oil seasoning. The broth is enhanced with anchovies, cod, and various seafood and vegetables for a refreshing taste, with stir-fried red pepper powder and Cheongyang chili adding spiciness.
Samyang Foods' 'Carbo Buldak,' which is popular worldwide, is also a quintessential modishumer product. The Buldak Bokkeummyeon, first released in April 2012, was initially criticized as "too spicy for anyone to eat." However, modishumers enthusiastically created recipes to make Buldak more accessible to those sensitive to spicy food, known as 'maepjjili,' by using ingredients like string cheese, tuna, and eggs to moderate the spiciness.
One such recipe added cream, which became explosively popular, leading Samyang Foods to release a limited edition Carbo Buldak in Korea in 2017. This product caused a sensation, selling 36 million units in three months after launch. It was officially released in May 2018 and has since become a flagship Buldak product. In the U.S. and other countries, Carbo Buldak is so popular that it threatens the dominance of the original Buldak.
Ottogi also launched a new product called 'Mayeol Ramyun' in the second half of last year, which adds garlic and pepper to Yeol Ramyun. Mayeol Ramyun was inspired by the SNS trend of 'Sundubu Yeol Ramyun,' which adds garlic, pepper, and soft tofu to Yeol Ramyun, making it a modishumer product.
Although Yeol Ramyun had a loyal fan base, its sales were not high compared to other products. However, as the Sundubu Yeol Ramyun recipe became popular, more modishumers began adding various ingredients to Yeol Ramyun, leading to increased sales. In fact, from 2019 to 2022, sales of Yeol Ramyun bag noodles tripled. Additionally, Ottogi introduced 'Sesame Ramen Stir-fried Noodles' after the modishumer recipe of stir-frying sesame ramen became popular.
Products based on modishumer recipes already have high interest on SNS platforms like YouTube and Instagram, resulting in a twofold effect of reducing both new product development and marketing costs. Even without heavy promotion, word-of-mouth spreads easily among consumers who voluntarily share recipes.
An industry insider said, "When modishumer recipes popular on SNS are released as products, consumer interest increases, positively impacting ramen sales. Even if not commercialized, modishumers significantly influence sales, so related marketing will continue in the future."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
