If ginseng had a face, what would it look like? Happy and healthy, figures the South Korean government. To boost exports of the root herb, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is launching its first international marketing campaign for ginseng . It employs an image of a smiling, rosy-cheeked herb.
The cartoon character, drawn with a stocky yellow body crowned with a tuft of green leaves, appears in advertisements the ministry is placing in foreign agricultural trade publications and consumer health and food magazines. And in an unusual twist in agricultural marketing, the ministry is licensing the character to appear in a line of products such as badges, coffee mugs and stuffed dolls for sale in souvenir shops and airports.
The campaign is part of the government's effort to reverse the slide in ginseng exports that has lasted several years. The ministry estimates exports have fallen 45% from $164 million in 1990 to about $90 million last year. What led to the decline? "We didn't advertise," says Lee Youn Ki, an official at the Agricultural and Fishery Marketing Corp., the ministry arm overseeing the ginseng effort, In addition, Korean ginseng has competition from ginseng grown in China.
But the government thinks that a marketing boost could help reverse the slide. It's hoping ginseng exports will climb to $200 million next year. Mr. Lee says the ministry opened a "kimchee museum" two years ago in Tokyo where visitors can learn about the purported health benefits of Korea's spicy pickled cabbage and pick up tips on preparing kimchee dishes. Since the museum opened, Korea's kimchee exports, almost all of which go to Japan, have been on the rise, jumping from 10,000 tons in 1996 to 15,000 tons last year, he says.
Ginseng , usually marketed as a health supplement or herbal remedy, most frequently turns up in the form of teas, extracts and capsules. It's said to help alleviate ailments from diabetes to arthritis. The Korean ginseng character, desiggned too convey a healthy image, is a wide-eyed figure portrayed in ads in a range of athletic poses, including riding a skateboard, toting a box under each arm and flexing its biceps. Ads cite "insam," the Korean word for ginseng, and plug it with the slogan, "Original name of best ginseng."
- By : Louise Lee
- SOURCE: The Asian Wall Street Journal
1999.04.09
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