Marketing Aussie wool in South Korea
With a population of more than 50 million people, an economy ranked twelfth in the world, and the primary driver of customers’ apparel purchases being quality, South Korea is a key consumer market for products made from Australian wool. This double page spread contains a snapshot of some recent initiatives undertaken there by The Woolmark Company.
Marketing collaboration with online retail giant
The wool hub page on the Muninsa website.
A physical pop-up store on the Muninsa Terrace in Seoul featured the irresistible ‘Hug Me’ theme.
After a successful marketing collaboration in 2022 with Korea’s leading e-commerce fashion platform, Muninsa, The Woolmark Company last year ran a second campaign with the online retail giant. This time, more than double the number of products were promoted, resulting in the collaboration being The Woolmark Company’s largest ever autumn/winter campaign in the Korean market.
Launched in October, the extensive digital and social campaign boosted sales of a diverse selection of contemporary wool products across menswear and womenswear. There were approximately 300,000 wool items available to buy from 87 participating brands, representing an estimated 120 tons of wool.
As well as showcasing the benefits of wool and the Woolmark-certified products, the ‘Circular by Nature’ environmental credentials of wool were central to the campaign.
Products could be purchased via a special wool hub page on Musinsa’s e-commerce website. A 12-minute ‘unboxing’ style documentary that promoted the benefits of wool and the wool products was also produced by Musinsa and released on its YouTube channel. Outdoor digital advertising in central Seoul and a pop-up store complemented the campaign.
Defending the premium suiting market
A display promoting premium wool apparel in a Cambridge Members store.
The Woolmark Company recently held a marketing campaign with Cambridge Members, the second largest premium suiting brand in Korea. Launched in 1977, Cambridge Members belongs to the massive Kolon Industries.
Although the men’s suit market in Korea has faced downward pressure from the casualisation of apparel for a number of years, net sales in the men’s suiting market increased to about $5.23 billion in 2022, a rise of 6.1% from the previous year, as the COVID pandemic ended.
Launched in October, the marketing collaboration had the theme of ‘Sustainable Classic’ and explained why the timeless style of Merino wool makes it the most suitable fibre for men’s suits. About 38,000 pieces were available to buy, representing an estimated 41 tons of wool.
The campaign involved digital, social and in-store promotions. The digital campaign included a special wool hub page on the Cambridge Members website which included information on the benefits and provenance of Merino wool, plus all-important links to products that customers could buy.
An 18-minute documentary that promoted the benefits of Australian wool and the Cambridge Members wool products was also produced along with two further videos from notable influencers within the Korean menswear sector.
Other recent Woolmark highlights in Korea
‘Preview in Seoul’ trade show
In August last year, The Woolmark Company participated in Preview In Seoul, the largest textile trade show organised by Korea Federation Textile Industries, which had more than 10,000 visitors. The Woolmark Company booth provided a great opportunity to connect with new brands and retail partners, introducing them to wool supply chain partners in Korea and overseas.
‘Naturally Inspiring’ seminar
The Woolmark Company conducted a Naturally Inspiring seminar in September, attended by 264 tertiary textile and fashion students from 27 universities in Korea. The Woolmark Company’s Wool Appreciation Course was presented to educate the students about the attributes and benefits of wool, followed by presentations from garment manufacturer Appeal Korea and e-commerce platform Muninsa.
This article appeared in the March 2024 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.
