CASE STUDY
From China Success to Korea: Pomegranate Product Adaptation
Q: We achieved huge success in China for our product. But the same product has received only mediocre results in Korea. Management is evaluating if the product should be discontinued or relaunched?
No two countries in Asia are unlike even if they seemed to have similar skin conditions.
In Asia, currently, pomegranate is not only a delicious, juicy fruit, but it has also been touted as a superfood for its numerous health and skincare benefits.
This was not the case a decade ago where consumers had very differing knowledge of the product and its benefits.
In China, the fruit was well known then for its anti-oxidation properties . However, in Korea, there was a strong perception that pomegranates are rich in female hormones – oestrogen. Therefore, good for middle-aged women, especially those going through menopause. This meant that the product did not seem relevant to the younger-aged women.
However, upon the knowledge that pomegranate contained more antioxidants than red wine and blueberries and is also native to Himalayas to be able to thrive in harsh terrain, it provided a strong reason to believe for the products.
Korean women of all ages were very interested to try the client’s products.
Strengthening the product’s key benefits and reason to believe helped the product to regain its foothold in Korea as Koreans responded warmly after being exposed to it. The client’s strong brand name and the first to claim this benefit enabled it to establish a loyal following of its entire product range even till today.