"Catch the Camping Crowd"... Industry Marketing 'War' Rises with Camping Popularity

Camping Popularity Boosts HMR Spotlight
From Simple Dried Foods to Hotel-Style Meal Kits
Camping Gear Sells Fast... Electronics and Clothing Also Popular
Retail Industry Launches Successive Camping Marketing Campaigns

Kolon Hotel 'Camping Package'./Photo by Kolon Hotel

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] With the rising popularity of camping, the camping-related industry has also become active. A representative example is Home Meal Replacement (HMR). As convenient meals that can be easily eaten outdoors gain attention as camping cuisine, demand is gradually expanding. From dried foods that can be quickly prepared without complicated cooking processes to the recent trend of ‘Meokping’ (eating and drinking camping), premium camping meal kit products that satisfy both taste and sentiment are being released one after another.

Freshige, a meal publishing company, recently launched three new ‘Camping Pocha Meal Kits’ that include a direct-fire pot container that can be boiled as is. The three types?‘Skewered Fish Cake Soup,’ ‘Garlic Tteokdoritang,’ and ‘Spicy Mushroom Kalguksu’?are designed to easily prepare unique dishes that are hard to enjoy outdoors. LF Food also recently introduced ‘Tong! Pork Neck Skewers,’ a convenient meal targeting campers, through the ramen and donburi specialty store ‘Hakoya.’ The product includes seasoning powder so it can be grilled or cooked over direct fire outdoors without separate sauce. Sauces that simply enhance the flavor and aroma of camping dishes, such as CJ CheilJedang’s ‘Baeksul BBQ Sauce 4 types,’ Samyang Foods’ ‘Buldak Sriracha,’ and Ottogi’s ‘Samgyeopsal Wasabi Gochujang Sauce,’ are also gaining popularity.

Camping gear is also selling like hotcakes. Reflecting the desire not just to camp but to live outdoors like in a hotel or at home, the variety of products is increasing. Certain electronics suitable for camping, such as LG Electronics’ Room&TV, have become very popular. Some winter heating appliances, like Paseco’s camping stove ‘Camp Series’ and Shinil Electronics’ fan heater, are already in high demand and can only be purchased through ‘live broadcasts (live commerce)’ held on specific dates. Along with the diversification of camping food, various cooking tools and storage products are flooding the market.

As more campers with strong individuality enjoy camping in their own styles, a variety of alcoholic beverages for camping are also being released. Existing alcoholic beverages are being re-released as package products reflecting camping-specific needs, or low-alcohol beers and pairing products that go well with camping dishes are emerging one after another. OB Beer recently introduced ‘Camping with Hanmac,’ a pairing that suggests camping dishes matching the beer brand Hanmac, and Tsingtao launched products combining camping gear and beer, such as the ‘Travel Cooler Bag Package’ for easy food and beverage storage and the ‘Tsingtao Lager Folding Cart Package.’

CJ Foodville, Vips X Nordisk Camping Bag / Photo by CJ Foodville

The popularity of camping is also high in the clothing sector. According to the growth rate of transaction amounts by category at Musinsa’s sports specialty store ‘Musinsa Player,’ which started service in April, camping goods’ transaction amount increased by 617% over about three months until the end of June. This figure far surpasses other categories such as fitness goods (518%), swimwear and rash guards (343%), hiking and trekking shoes (300%), and uniforms (188%).

The distribution industry is also actively engaging in marketing related to camping. SPC Group’s Paris Baguette partnered with the famous overseas camping brand Nordisk last year to launch products such as the ‘Wood Cutting Board & Cup Set,’ ‘Easy Cooler Bag,’ ‘Classic Wood Folding Umbrella,’ and ‘Sentimental Parasol Set.’ This year, they continued to release products like the ‘Nospike Premium Umbrella’ and ‘Shelf Ladder Set’ in collaboration with the popular domestic camping brand Nospike.

Lotte Chilsung Beverage held the ‘Cheoeumcheoreom Camping Event,’ where participants could enjoy camping through a lottery over 13 days at the Bogwang Rural Recreation Village campsite in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, in May. Lotte Food decorated an Essenspodeuk brand campsite on the metaverse platform ‘Roblox,’ mainly used by the MZ generation (Millennials + Gen Z), and in June held a ‘Uiseong Garlic Ham Family Camp’ for consumers for one night and two days.

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