Situation:
Having established its operations in Singapore for over 2 decades, local Korean barbeque restaurant, Seoul Garden is facing its tremendous competition from both local and international F & B chains. The re-ignition of ‘McDonald’s - ‘I’m Lovin’ It’, KFC’s – Finger Lickin’ Good and the rise of pop culture Japanese restaurants were eagerly competing for the same share of the youth market. In 2003, Seoul Garden took steps to develop a more distinctive brand amidst the competition.

Strategy:
Tasked to re-ignite the brand, AdWOW! audited the situation with a brand health check and formulated the strategy. Early stages involved developing the personality and using the right media to communicate with youths between 12-16 years old.

“We need to inject a strong benefit of the brand into the minds of our young audience in a fun and impactful way. The challenge is to constantly engage them with refreshing and exciting changes.” Commented Creative Group Head, George Heng. “What better way than to create an fantasy world where our young audience can reign freely and expand their imagination upon? Through this execution, the possibilities of incorporating future promotions or messages are almost unlimited.”

Several adorable mascots were thus developed around the storyline “More Fun toGather” to inculcate the key benefit of dining at Seoul Garden. “By capturing more younger consumers in their teens, we can build a strong following through consistent promotions with the mascots.” Heng elaborated. “The challenge is to continuously keep our audience excited about the next ‘adventures’ of our animated heroes!”

Launched through POS materials prominently displayed at all outlets, the mascots immediately garnered excited enquiries from regulars and new customers alike. To create a bigger bang, a new recipe was also launched in line with the new characters. Subsequent marketing efforts involved bus ad campaigns and publicity flyers. Special premiums were also designed for giveaways and promotions.

Result:
The mascots were widely accepted and welcomed by both the young and mature. In an island-wide poll, the Seoul Garden bus was voted “Singapore’s Favourite Bus”. The campaign scored a resounding victory for Seoul Garden by notching almost 17.7% of the 379,000 votes.

The success of this move by Seoul Garden will continue to resonate through the years as the restaurant celebrated its 20th anniversary in the same year. To share this joyful occasion, the mascots generously gave away attractive dining vouchers through a local daily.