Overview

How do you introduce Jongga, Korea’s No.1 Kimchi brand, to UK foodies? Through the Jongga Flavourverse: a three-week pop-up, inspired by multiverse-themed pop culture. Creating a culinary journey across immersive worlds, we enabled visitors to travel with their tastebuds, when the cost-of-living crisis had them grounded. Powered by PR, including on-trend chef partnerships, influencer marketing and earned media outreach, we brought a slice of Seoul to London, no passports required, reaching 244M+ and driving a 27% purchase consideration uplift - placing Jongga firmly on London’s foodie map.

Objectives

1.    Educate and inspire Gen Z and millennial foodies about Kimchi’s versatility and importance in Korean culture.

2.    Build brand love for Jongga as the authentic Korean Kimchi brand through an engaging experience with wide news appeal.

3. Drive profitability and sales volume gain.

Insight led idea

To earn mass attention at the event and beyond, as well as break through the editorial filter with a highly branded story, we needed to find a tension Jongga could solve. HUNTER found 61% of foodies want to travel to try new cuisines, yet 58% are reducing trips abroad due to economic uncertainty. In response to this travel crisis, an immersive experience bringing a slice of Seoul to London, free of charge, was the perfect way to play.

Strategy and planning

Inspired by the trend for multiverses sweeping pop culture, our experience and production partner, Amplify, created a series of connected worlds allowing guests to travel into Korean culture and the heritage of the Jongga brand.

HUNTER tied this to a creative insight that Gen Zs and millennials are hungry for ‘tastebud tourism’ but have been unintentionally grounded due to the cost-of-living crisis. The Jongga Flavourverse - a K-wave style exhibition, celebrating Kimchi and its place in Korean culture – enabled audiences to satisfy their global foodie cravings, without setting foot in an airport.

Method deployed

A three-week pop-up in London’s Covent Garden, The Flavourverse spanned three distinct worlds, each highlighting a different aspect of the Jongga brand.

Chef Partnerships

Taking cues from TikTok trend chaos cooking, we brokered edgy collaborations ripping up the flavour rule book and showcasing Jongga’s versatility within the first zone: Kimchi Alley. A rotating residency of chef partners fused Jongga Kimchi with their signature cuisine. Thanks to HUNTER’s branded menu placement service, each chef featured the Jongga Flavourverse specials, plus a new exclusive Kimchi dish, at their own restaurants for 20 days post event.

Immersive Experience

The Kimchi Lab highlighted the importance of Kimchi in daily Korean life. From a projection room immersing guests in a wintery Kimchi scene, to scale models depicting traditional Kimchi preparation, our collaborators Amplify created an exhibition exploring Jongga’s heritage and innovation.

Beyond a mysterious door and through a hidden fridge, guests discovered the final flavour zone - The Mart. An eye-popping Kimchi superstore filled with limited edition streetwear and plenty of opportunity to find Kimchi products to match personalities.

National News

Providing rationale behind the Jongga Flavourverse, HUNTER commissioned research finding 80% consider themselves ‘adventurous’ with food and 54% want to travel more to experience authentic international cuisine. However, the cost-of-living crisis has prevented nearly two thirds of Gen Zs from travelling. Video content brought the findings to life using vox-pops and chef partner interviews, revealing foodies could travel with their tastebuds, free of charge, at the Jongga Flavourverse in central London.

 Preview Event

 An exclusive preview night built excitement among media and creators, culminating in a surprise flash-mob style dance from K-pop performers, ODC.

Influencer Partnerships (paid)

Macro influencers known for their foodie followers, @AlphaFoodie and @JohnGS created thumb-stopping recipe and pop-up content. Generating engagement and surround-sound throughout the campaign and beyond, micro-influencers attended the preview event and pop-up, as well as prepared recipes hooked into National Kimchi Day.

Media Amplification

HUNTER’s buzzworthy tactics included a mailer of Jongga samples and limited-edition streetwear, outreach to listings and product and recipe placement leveraging media-worthy chef partnerships.

Outcomes

The Jongga Flavourverse exceeded all KPIs. Not only did it educate and inspire audiences about Kimchi’s versatility and importance in Korean culture, but it built brand love for Jongga as the No.1 authentic Korean Kimchi brand through an engaging experience with wide news appeal.

Creativity

We needed to introduce and educate UK foodies about Jongga, but also find a relevant angle to break through the editorial filter with a highly branded story.  Bringing a slice of Seoul to London, free of charge during the cost-of-living crisis provided audiences the opportunity to travel to new worlds through their tastebuds, courtesy of Jongga. An instant win for this unintentionally grounded generation.  

Amplify built an entirely new world packed with theatrical gateways of delicious discovery and cultural crossovers. Through cleverly crafted news generation, a bespoke influencer campaign, gifting programme, earned media and launch night event, HUNTER infused news value, driving sustained buzz, building education and brand love for Jongga.

Introducing Korea’s No.1 Kimchi brand to a new audience, we placed Jongga firmly on London’s food map, not only ensuring The Flavourverse was a sell-out* success but creating a template for new markets.