The Seoul Metropolitan Government kicked off overseas promotions for this year with television commercials aired in China and Japan starting June 15.
Under the new campaign slogan, "Infinitely yours, Seoul", it will promote itself abroad as a city on the go 24 hours a day, where the barrier between today and tomorrow is broken down, and offering unlimited experiences.
In China, Seoul will be billed as a city of "infinite fun where diverse experiences can be enjoyed at once". In Japan, Seoul will be promoted as a city of "infinite novelty, a place you will want to revisit". "Trendy Seoul, a city of infinite surprise showing the roots of the Korean wave" is the theme in Southeast Asia.
In Europe and the Americas, Seoul will be introduced as a "city of infinite curiosity, a place to experience exotic culture". In all, four television commercials have been created to promote the city.
◆ Cameos
K-pop stars, including Dongbangshingi, Super Junior and
Girls' Generation make cameo appearances in the television ads.
The fun and excitement of spotting stars who make brief 30-second appearances is expected to lead to offline word-of-mouth marketing. Dongbangshingi will appear as hair designers, Super Junior as a club DJ, and
Girls' Generation as mannequins in Myeongdong.
Unedited footage from the shootings, episodes and memories about Seoul will be available online on YouTube starting July.
◆ Boosting Brand Awareness
The appearance of Korean wave stars is expected to translate into more tourists coming to Seoul to visit shooting locations for soap operas. The YouTube clips attracted 30,000 hits on the first day alone and a very enthusiastic response to the promotional films is expected.
Seoul embarked on overseas marketing in 2008. That year, the city called on internationally recognized cultural icons to produce their take on Seoul and used Manchester United in sports marketing effort to promote the city. In a November 2008 survey by AC Nielson, Seoul was chosen as the no.1 city people in China, Japan and Thailand wanted to visit.
In 2009, Seoul will continue to promote itself overseas with the new campaign slogan, "Infinitely yours, Seoul" as part of efforts to attract 12 million tourists.
To view the commercial:
Open the link
From the Seoul Metropolitan Government
