The Secret to This Company's Success with the 'MZ Generation'... "Thanks to YouTube"

KCC and Happycall Increase Support for Young Talented Professionals and Enhance Brand Awareness

A capture from KCC's YouTube advertisement "Why Are You Coming Out There, Hyung?" featuring former Major League Baseball player Park Chan-ho.
[Photo by KCC]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] What do companies do when their brand awareness is low despite having a long history, or when their unusual company name makes people imagine something completely unrelated to the products they produce?

Some companies change their name entirely, but usually, they increase brand awareness among consumers through brand marketing. Recently, companies that have succeeded in brand marketing using YouTube have become a hot topic.

Construction materials company KCC is both a B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) company. Most construction materials like windows are traded B2B, but since interior paints and other products are sold directly to consumers, the importance of brand power has grown, increasing the need to raise brand awareness.

KCC chose YouTube as the main channel for brand marketing. KCC succeeded in raising brand awareness by turning Park Chan-ho, a former major league baseball player with a dignified appearance, into a "Too much talker."

In the video, a woman on her way to a KCC new employee interview asks Park Chan-ho for directions to the KCC building. Park Chan-ho starts pouring out his life story from his playing days in LA, with subtitles covering the entire screen. The woman, overwhelmed by his endless talk, receives a text message saying she failed due to not attending the interview. Later, she learns it was because she met the "too much talker," gets another chance, and passes. This video became a sensation in online communities, gaining over 4.4 million views.

This video shattered the stereotype that marketing for B2B companies is "boring." A company that struggled to explain difficult technology or unrelated topics transformed into a generous and fun company that even passed candidates who missed interviews due to unavoidable circumstances.

Last January, kitchenware specialist Happycall launched its 2020 brand campaign "Getting the Most Out of Happycall." Daniel Henney took the drums and showed off his style, but the song played was the pungjjak "Happycall Song."
[Photo by Happycall]

While producing the YouTube ad, KCC pre-planned content that could be linked with the company’s SNS channels and ensured viral spread even before the ad launch. Through integrated teasing content on YouTube, Facebook, and blogs, they successfully raised consumer anticipation.

A KCC official said, "After the YouTube ad, the corporate branding effect increased, producing positive results in talent acquisition. Young people, who consume a lot of video content on platforms like YouTube, came to understand KCC more easily, increasing corporate favorability and significantly raising the number of young talents who see KCC as a 'company they want to work for.'"

Kitchenware specialist company "Happycall" often makes people think of a "call center" because of its name. Established in 1999, Happycall is a mid-sized company with 21 years of history this year, but its brand awareness was quite low. Happycall began to be widely recognized starting early this year.

In the first brand campaign introduced in January, the very handsome actor Daniel Henney appears and reveals that his dream was to be a musician. After building anticipation, Daniel Henney sits at the drums and plays the "Bongjjak Happycall Song." Starting with "Happycall, Happycall, it’s not a call center," the Happycall Song revealed the identity of the kitchenware specialist Happycall and raised brand awareness.

In the second brand campaign in June, comedian Lee Yong-jin rearranged the Happycall Song "Do you know Happycall?" into a hip-hop style and performed it. The lyrics express the identity and pride of Korea’s representative kitchen brand, with lines like "Non-stick coating fantastic, no need for anything else, the formula for cooking well," and "Crazy cost-effectiveness, home-cooked meal quality is like The Great Gatsby."

A Happycall official explained, "Daniel Henney’s 'Bong Flash' video has over 1.93 million views on YouTube, and comedian Lee Yong-jin’s rap has surpassed 500,000 views," adding, "It became an opportunity for MZ generation customers to recognize Happycall as a practical product brand with a friendly and cheerful image."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.