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3 tips for adapting your marketing strategy for the South Korean culture

By Elin Box on December 1, 2020

South Korea is an attractive market for many global brands.

With a population of 51 million people and extremely high internet penetration rates, it is easy to see why.

Not only that, but brand loyalty is quite high, so if you manage to earn the custom of a South Korean shopper, you may have just gained them for the long-term.

If you want your brand to succeed in South Korea, you need to tailor your marketing activities to the local culture.

Let’s look at three ways you should adapt your marketing strategy for South Korea.

1. South Koreans are more focused on the future, than the present or past

People tend to be pragmatic, and saving and investing for the future is important, as the future is their focus.

When marketing in South Korea, you should therefore focus on how your product or service can help them in the long-term.

Do not focus on getting quick, instant results, as that is not relatable. Instead, focus on long-term benefits.

2. South Koreans like to have a lot of product information available upfront

This is because they like to conduct in-depth research before making a purchase, so make sure to offer plenty of information about your product or service online.

Just remember that they want to see specific statements, rather than vague generalisations.

They often want to know in-depth about your product features, and for this reason product demos are popular.

3. South Korea is quite a restrained society

People are good at controlling their impulses and desires – and in fact see indulgence as a negative thing.

Bear this in mind when coming up with your marketing messaging, and make sure not to come across as promoting something too extravagant, as this may be seen as distasteful.

I hope this blog post has given you a useful introduction to how you need to adapt your marketing strategy for the South Korean culture. For more in-depth information, read Webcertain’s online consumer behaviour report here. 

This 219-page report gives concise, up-to-date overviews of the cultures of 38 countries worldwide.

  • Learn how each country scores for Hofstede’s cultural dimensions.
  • Discover what this means in terms of marketing.
  • Get additional insights directly from our experience helping global brands.
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Elin Box

Content Marketing Manager at Webcertain
Elin is a Content Marketing Manager at Webcertain. She is responsible for Webcertain’s Self-learning platform, producing in-depth guides on a range of international digital marketing topics. She also helps run the Webcertain blog and is the writer of the Webcertain search and social report, an annual report summarising digital marketing best practices in over 50 countries. She is passionate about educating and empowering people to make the best decisions for their business and is proud to help share Webcertain’s wealth of digital marketing knowledge with the world. Elin is from the UK.

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