SDLC111 - Cultural Post #4
For my fourth cultural post I will be going over the tradition or “culture” of Pepero Day (“빼빼로 데이”) and its significance in Korean culture. Informally, pepero day is often seen as the “korean valentines” equivalent. It takes place on November 11th or 11/11 as the ones resemble pepero sticks. Pepero sticks are thin, stick-shaped breaded cookies that are coated in chocolate. There are a multitude of flavors including, oreo, strawberry, and more. The concept is similar to most gift-giving holidays, however, it is actually more inclusive than people think. While most people believe that only couples can exchange pepero as a sign of affection, Lotte (the parent company of pepero) encourages the exchange of pepero amongst friends, co-workers, and family in their advertisements.
The origin “legend” of Pepero Day dates back to 1983 when two female middle school students exchanged peperos hoping that they too would be tall and thin like the pepero snack. Some myths even suggest that in order to become tall and skinny, one must consume 11 peperos on 11/11 at 11:11pm.
More formally in 1997, Lotte, the corporation behind Pepero, noticed an increase in sales around this date and decided to capitalize on this. They officially marketed 11/11 as “Pepero Day” and to this day, has been one of the most successful marketing campaigns. From a simple concept of gift exchange, there have been social implications integrated into this concept making it much more complex than simply giving pepero. For example, it has become normalized that junior employees will buy Pepero for their office or couples give each other pepero on pepero day in Korea.
While store bought pepero is the standard, some even take it a step further and prepare homemade or “diy” pepero. This involves creating the breadstick and dipping it in melted chocolate and decorating it with any other toppings. Some recent trends include making pepero bouquets or lavish gift baskets decked out in pepero.
The economic impact of this one specific “holiday” is the reason for nearly 50-65% of Pepero's annual revenue. Lotte’s marketing in collaboration with k-pop groups such as NewJeans has only further fueled this trend making it one of the most celebrated holidays in Korea.
For my fourth cultural post I will be going over the tradition or “culture” of Pepero Day (“빼빼로 데이”) and its significance in Korean culture. Informally, pepero day is often seen as the “korean valentines” equivalent. It takes place on November 11th or 11/11 as the ones resemble pepero sticks. Pepero sticks are thin, stick-shaped breaded cookies that are coated in chocolate. There are a multitude of flavors including, oreo, strawberry, and more. The concept is similar to most gift-giving holidays, however, it is actually more inclusive than people think. While most people believe that only couples can exchange pepero as a sign of affection, Lotte (the parent company of pepero) encourages the exchange of pepero amongst friends, co-workers, and family in their advertisements.
The origin “legend” of Pepero Day dates back to 1983 when two female middle school students exchanged peperos hoping that they too would be tall and thin like the pepero snack. Some myths even suggest that in order to become tall and skinny, one must consume 11 peperos on 11/11 at 11:11pm.
More formally in 1997, Lotte, the corporation behind Pepero, noticed an increase in sales around this date and decided to capitalize on this. They officially marketed 11/11 as “Pepero Day” and to this day, has been one of the most successful marketing campaigns. From a simple concept of gift exchange, there have been social implications integrated into this concept making it much more complex than simply giving pepero. For example, it has become normalized that junior employees will buy Pepero for their office or couples give each other pepero on pepero day in Korea.
While store bought pepero is the standard, some even take it a step further and prepare homemade or “diy” pepero. This involves creating the breadstick and dipping it in melted chocolate and decorating it with any other toppings. Some recent trends include making pepero bouquets or lavish gift baskets decked out in pepero.
The economic impact of this one specific “holiday” is the reason for nearly 50-65% of Pepero's annual revenue. Lotte’s marketing in collaboration with k-pop groups such as NewJeans has only further fueled this trend making it one of the most celebrated holidays in Korea.
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