Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Companies collaborate with artists to attract millennials
Clockwise from top left: Georgia Gotica's special edition cold brew, Stella Artois' special edition notebook, The Handsome's menswear brand TIME HOMME, Samsung Electronics' BESPOKE refrigerator, Massimiliano Fuksas working on LG Electronics' SIGNATURE lineup and LF's menswear brand JillStuart New York
By Kwak Yeon-soo
By Kwak Yeon-soo
An increasing number of food and beverage, fashion and electronics brands are looking to visual artists to come up with unique products to appeal to young consumers, company officials said Thursday.
Incorporating art into products is nothing new, but collaborations have become more frequent and savvier these days. Using this marketing strategy, companies are trying to boost awareness of their brands and attract younger consumers.
Millennials are more drawn to words “individualized” and “unique” when purchasing items and are less impressed when products are described as “luxury” and “popular,” the officials said.
Coca-Cola's canned coffee brand Georgia Gotica released a special edition cold brew integrating the art piece “Nadia aux cheveux lisses” by 20th century French artist Henri Matisse in its packaging.
“The target of the latest collaboration was to bring in younger consumers,” a Coca-Cola Korea official said. “We want them to think 'Oh that's instagrammable.'”
Global beer brand Stella Artois collaborated locally with artist Kim Cham-sae and Moleskin to release a notebook with the message “Become an icon.”
The company stated that the priority of the project was to inspire young people, especially young women.
Local fashion brands, such as The Handsome and LF, have been active in partnering with unique graphic artists and illustrators for their clothing designs.
The Handsome collaborated with graphic artist Lee Kyung-don for the latest collection of its menswear brand TIME HOMME under the title “For Beyond This Land.”
“We combined Lee's imagery with TIME HOMME's vivid colors and unusual materials,” an official at The Handsome said.
LF's menswear brand “JillStuart New York” launched the 2019 F/W collection by joining hands with New York-based fashion illustrator Richard Haines. Haines' modern sensibility is well-conveyed in his sophisticated design work.
Electronics companies are also extending collaborative projects to appeal to the segmented consumer market.
LG Electronics collaborated with Italy's world-renowned architect Massimiliano Fuksas for its premium SIGNATURE lineup to go after consumers who prefer subtle design.
Samsung Electronics unveiled its customizable refrigerator “BESPOKE” for millennials in June.
Consumers can customize their own refrigerators, choosing from three types of surface material ― metal, satin glass or glam glass ― and selecting the color or colors they prefer, according to the company.
“Young consumers have a desire to reflect their identity and personal taste in their interior design,” a Samsung official said during the launch event of its BESPOKE lineup.
“We are excited to see how Samsung's new lifestyle innovations of quality craftsmanship and innovations will satisfy the unique needs of each household.”