INTERVIEW 'Personal is business': influencer platform operator

Go Young-ha / Courtesy of Go Young-ha

Go Young-ha is an influencer and the CEO of Basil Club, an online platform of mega-influencers, goods manufacturers with excellent taste and consumers.

According to her, more often than not, we make buying decisions fully aware that they speak volumes about who we are and who we want to be.

However, how do we know what we really want?

It certainly takes more than having enough cash to feel the self-satisfaction of appreciating materialism-awarded victory — the experience that shopping brings — however shallow, fleeting and empty others find it to be.

This is where the so-called micro-influencers with great tastecome in, she said. Their recommendations play an outsized role in the purchasing choices of consumers. The more sophisticated and personal they are, the more enthusiasm they will draw.

Right match

“It is all about finding the right people at the right time,” she said in an interview with The Korea Times, Feb. 21.

A growing number of consumers are looking for products that align with their identity and values. They are more than happy to spend a lot once they decide certain brands match their taste.

“Korea is a market where a spending pattern is set and fostered almost exclusively by a handful of online influencers. The mention of newly released products can lead to a total sell-out success, if timing is right and enough number of subscribers watch online.”

Sustaining the commercial success is the deep trust of the subscribers, the devoted groups of spenders priding themselves as the promoters of values and lifestyle choices they share and prioritize.

A group of cooking enthusiasts, for example, will find no cooking ingredients and cookware sets too expensive, as long as they determine those are needed for the food recipes and dishes they want.

Cooking at this point is a dedicated celebration of personal values — a healthy lifestyle for oneself and loved ones.

“They personally care deeply about what they eat and how they make it. They find the preparation fulfilling and consumption rewarding. It’s an ultimate source of happiness," she said.

The same goes with beauty, cosmetics, fitness and home interior designs — priorities that can define and uplift individuals for an enriched life, she said. Their shared personal interests are the foundation of strong business models.

“The rapport established between the influencer and subscribers in that sense are immeasurably deep. So much so that spending money becomes not an object. It’s a virtuous cycle whereby a mutual sense of trust and connection becomes fortified. It is a relationship worth establishing and maintaining.”

The main page of the Basil Club website / Courtesy of Go Young-ha

Basil Club

Go is a veteran distribution and marketing expert with over two decades of experience in the industry, a process she said led to the founding of Basil Club in April 2022.

“I spent most of my professional career marketing and selling imported products,” she said. “It was a process whereby I grew to appreciate effective collaborative work enormously, as underpinned by relationship- and trust-driven business models.”

The professional career taught her to prioritize influencers’ expertise, taste and passion, the key drivers she believes are critical to building a compelling identity.

“Whether it be influencers or customers, we all need strength of character. We all want to be special and have something that is nobody else’s but ours. Having in-depth knowledge in an area of chosen field of interest driven by personal conviction and passion is a recipe for success not only as an influencer but as a person.”

Some of the platform’s success include explosive sales of Zafferano lights made in Italy, Tromatz, a microcurrent toothbrush and Fer à Cheval, a French soap maker established in 1856.

Zafferano products are in high demand with upscale restaurants and hotels. But a growing number of Korean home interior design enthusiasts are installing them in their living rooms, playrooms for children and bedrooms.

The French soap brand was introduced to local consumers after she tried it herself during a business trip to France.

“The product quality was amazing, as buttressed by 160 years of history. I knew it was going to be a hit with Korean influencers.”

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VAIV Company, a local artificial intelligence (AI) firm, acquired a 28.5 percent stake in Basil Club last year, becoming the second largest shareholder.

The company will enable AI-powered, data-driven analysis of consumer trends for the online platform.

According to the firm, the influencer-mediated market grew to 6 trillion won ($4.4 billion) last year, up from 400 billion won in 2020.

Fostering global influencers

The global competitiveness of Korean content has been recognized around the world, as evidenced by the success ofK-pop figures among many other cultural and entertainment sensations.

The elevated global brand power of Korea can expand to include influencers, in her view.

“I want to contribute to ensuring as many Korean influencers on the global stage," she said.

“The Basil Club will strengthen global networking capabilities to lay the groundwork for strong local influencers and goods manufacturers to find their way into the global market.”