Japanese mobile phone advertisement explains the Korean consumer
I swiped this brilliant image from au’s homepage introducing its new line for Spring 2007. I can’t make sense of what it says in Japanese but its tagline really hit the spot:
"Individuality" makes you shine
I realize the pursuit for individualism - style/design preference reflecting aspirations and values - is the calling card for au’s target audience which is in itself conflicting with the collective Japanese mind.
The calm, confident and simple layout of the au advertisment reinforces the tagline by allowing the consumer to pick the model that best achieves their sense of individualism. This marketing approach is strikingly opposite to those offered by Korean operators such as SK Telecom or KTF. Inspired Korean consumers who want to be different from their peers by the selection of mobile phone are greatly disappointed. The social machine awards the crowd favorite and penalizes the individual. The crowd selects products upon peer pressure. Monkey see, monkey do. In Korea, the Long Tail does not exist. This applies to all consumer goods and services.
Why?
The degree of social collectiveness is stronger and bolder for the Korean. There are many proofs within society:
- The conglomerates (’chaebols’) are often at times run like with an iron fist, a militaristic top-down order where individuals/standouts are forced into line
- The success of fashion and design is not awarded for uniqueness but how commercially viable it is with the mainstream crowd
- The college entrant exam is built on the notion of achieving the highest score of the correct answer vs. the wrong answer. Creative problem-solving skills are not tested. Further, the college admissions process is noted on the standardization score not on diverseness of the peer
The point is the Korean society prides in the collective patriotism that is proudly displayed on the global playing field of sporting events (i.e., World Cup soccer, Olympics) or global politics (i.e., either stance backing/against the US on the N. Korea issue). As previously stated, the Long Tail does not apply to the Korean business model. The answer is a tightly controlled and focused product strategy. Here’s one: satisfying the Korean yuppie.
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