[Distribution Hot People] GS Retail Godsaeng Planning Team... "MZ Capturing MZ"

Team Members Born 1986-1996
Observing SNS and Hip Places
Planning, Design, and Marketing Together

Kim Min-gwan (left) and Park Jong-in, product planners of GS Retail's Godsaeng Planning Team, and Choi Byeol (right), marketer.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chunhan] "I heard that silicone-made toy Pop It is trending among elementary school students, so I went to a nearby playground. I thought it would be great to develop it as a toy candy product, so I created ‘Pop It Jinju Candy.’"

We met Kim Mingwan and Park Jongin, product planners (MDs), and marketer Choi Byeol of GS Retail’s ‘Godsaeng Planning,’ which has been popular as sold-out items among the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) with every product released on the 21st. The Godsaeng Planning team is different right from the team composition. The team members range from those born in 1996 to 1986. People from various fields gather to consider how to design and market from the planning stage. They have created a total of about 20 products, with cumulative sales exceeding 3.5 million units.

The first product, ‘Knotted Milk,’ featured an emotional design and sold more than 500,000 units within a week of its release. MD Park said, "We contacted the hottest brand cafe among the MZ generation, Knotted, to collaborate on donuts from early this year," adding, "It matched the MZ generation’s culture of first encountering beautifully designed products and posting them on social media (SNS), which naturally promoted the product and increased sales."

Marketer Choi explained, "In the past, MDs made products first and then the marketing team promoted them later, but Godsaeng Planning shares ideas and participates together from the beginning," adding, "In the case of Knotted Milk, we immediately started a certification shot event, resulting in over 1,000 SNS posts."

New product ideas are mainly obtained from SNS and ‘Hip Places.’ MD Kim said, "We conduct market research regardless of online or offline, investing about 2 to 3 hours daily per MD," adding, "Every Friday is ‘Benchmarking Day,’ where we visit places frequently visited by the MZ generation to observe their culture."

Godsaeng Planning aims to become an ultra-short-term ten million seller (10 million units) brand. They plan to sequentially release about 50 products by the end of the year, focusing on products linked to the ‘good consumption’ culture that has become a trend among the MZ generation.

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