‘Galbitang Week’ Promotes U.S. Beef to Younger Generations in Korea

Collaborating with famous Instagram cartoonist Yoonee and using various social media platforms to reach young consumers in South Korea, USMEF launched a “Galbitang Week” promotion highlighting U.S. beef as a main ingredient in the popular dish.

Funded by the USDA Market Access Program (MAP) And the Beef Checkoff Program, the activity was a partnership between USMEF and six restaurant chains with a total of 19 individual locations in the Seoul metropolitan area.

A traditional Korean dish, galbitang is a clear and unspicy soup frequently made with beef center-cut back ribs, back ribs and chuck riblet. It is consumed throughout the year in Korea but is especially common during winter months.

USMEF’s goal with the activity was to attract attention of young consumers, especially young parents with children.

“Because of lingering COVID restrictions, Galbitang Week promotions this year included in-store dining, take-out and delivery options, as well as ecommerce and online purchases,” said Jihae Yang, USMEF director in South Korea. “We put a special focus on younger consumers, using social media to publicize USMEF promotions at each restaurant location.”

Leading restaurant app Mango Plate was used to introduce and promote the event, while USMEF advertisements were placed on Naver Webtoon, KidsNote and magazines such as Bar & Dining and Olive. Naver Webtoon is part of Naver, the most popular Internet site in Korea. KidsNote is the largest mobile platform used by day care centers and kindergartens in the country.

Yoonee’s cartoons depicting consumers enjoying U.S. beef galbitang were shared on Instagram and viewed by more than 300,000 users.

Cartoons promoting galbitang made with U.S. beef were shared on Instagram during USMEF’s ‘Galbitang Week’ promotion in South Korea