[Report] Chungcheong Soju 'Seonyang' Rides Ttukbaegi to Seoul... "Full-Scale Attack on the Capital Area"

Mackis Company Operates 'Seonyang' Soju Popup Store in Seoul Seongsu
Offers Brand Experience, Goods, and Tastings

"The refreshing and cool image of the popup store seems to match the actual taste of soju well. The clean and comfortable feeling given by the blue and white colors aligns perfectly with the product's characteristic of low alcohol content, making me think the branding was done very well."

Visitors are riding boats and moving around in the indoor space set up at the Mackis Company popup store 'Plop Shenyang'.

Mackis Company, a soju manufacturer in the Daejeon and Chungnam regions, has been operating the 'Plop Sunyang' popup store for 'Sunyang (鮮洋)' soju in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, from the 17th of last month until the 9th of this month. Sunyang is a soju introduced by Mackis Company in March this year to celebrate its 50th anniversary, boasting the lowest alcohol content (14.9 degrees) and lowest calories (298 kcal) in Korea. It blends domestically produced distilled rice and barley spirits to enhance flavor and applies a proprietary oxygen aging acceleration method to emphasize a clean taste.

This popup store was planned as part of Mackis Company's strategy to expand Sunyang into a nationwide soju brand by targeting the metropolitan area. Kim Hyun-woo, head of ESG Management at Mackis Company, explained, "Based on the product's quality, we prepared this to raise awareness through TV commercials and the popup store, aiming to challenge the metropolitan market." He added, "Since Sunyang soju is an initial brand entering the metropolitan area, we focused on providing diverse and unique experiences so consumers can directly experience the brand."

When visiting the popup store on the afternoon of the 3rd, the space was designed around the concept of 'Plop,' meaning 'to fall into water,' portraying a journey to meet the mascot whale who has fallen for Sunyang soju. Visitors could take photos at various photo zones themed around underwater, water surface, and sandy island concepts. The media art displayed throughout the space offered a vivid experience, as if exploring underwater to meet a real whale.

In particular, an attraction zone was set up where visitors could ride a boat shaped like a bottle cap and cross an actual waterway, adding an element of fun. Jeong Ji-yoon (21), who visited on that day, said, "Most popup stores are mainly product displays, but here it was fascinating to ride a boat like an amusement park." She added, "I liked that instead of designating a specific area as a photo zone, practically every space within the popup could serve as a photo zone."

The brand zone view of Mackis Company popup store 'Plop Shenyang'.

After completing the journey to meet the whale, visitors can enjoy three mini-games?Plop Shot, Plop House, and Plop Spin?along with various Sunyang goods in the brand zone. By winning coupons through the games, visitors can exchange them for a set of Sunyang soju and fish cake at the Sunyang Odeng Pocha. Park Yuna (25), who tasted Sunyang soju for the first time that day, commented, "Personally, I found soju hard to drink because of its characteristic bitterness regardless of price, but Sunyang soju has noticeably less bitterness, so I think it would be relatively easier to enjoy."

According to Mackis Company, the popup store has attracted 800 to 900 visitors daily, surpassing a total of 10,000 visitors, and advance reservations were fully booked early. The company plans to strengthen marketing through online promotions and various events, starting with the popup store, to actively target the Seoul and metropolitan household markets.

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