Meticulous marketing strategy of Wonjungyo, the hottest Korean cosmetics brand

Wonjungyo is a Korean cosmetic brand that first launched in October 2022.

Wonjungyo is characterized by its relatively affordable price range and has attracted attention as a brand created under the supervision of Won Jungyo, a makeup artist that works for K-pop stars. K-pop star Momo from TWICE was selected and promoted as the brand’s muse.

TWICE attracted attention when all nine members renewed their contracts with their agency in July 2022. In the midst of all this, Momo became the solo "face" of the cosmetic brand.

TWICE's Momo is known for her unique makeup that accentuates her "tear troughs." Won Jungyo, on the other hand, is known as the "leading expert on tear trough makeup," which shows the affinity between the two.

The data on the number of users who searched for "Wonjungyo" shows that the number of searches has gradually increased since September 2022, one month prior to the brand's launch in October 2022.

The number of searches increased significantly one month after the brand launch and did not die down over the next month. The fact that the number of users has remained stable and high in the first two months after the brand launch indicates that brand awareness expanded and has taken hold.

Having been talked about even before its launch, Wonjungyo garnered more and more attention after its launch, and interest in Wonjungyo seems to have remained high since then.

It could be said that the brand has succeeded in nurturing fans because it had the appeal to keep users interested.

Wonjungyo is a Korean cosmetics brand.

Let's look at the difference between the users that search for "Korean cosmetics" and those that search for "Wonjungyo."

The data shows that "Korean cosmetics" has been consistently searched for a period of time. What kind of users are interested in “Korean cosmetics” and searching for it?

About 90% of users searching for "Korean cosmetics" were female, and the largest age group was in their 40s. Users in their 20s, 30s, and 50s were equally represented.

On the other hand, the largest number of users searching "Wonjungyo" are in their 20s, followed by those in their 30s. The largest number of users searching for "Korean cosmetics" were in their 40s (approximately 40%), while the percentage of users in their 40s searching for "Wonjungyo" was in the low 10% range.

This data indicates that those searching "Wonjungyo" are from younger than those interested in "Korean cosmetics."

Let's now look at the users who searched for "TWICE."

The largest age group searching for "TWICE" was in their 20s, followed by those in their 30s and 40s in roughly equal proportions.

Comparing the age range of users who searched for "Wonjungyo" with the age range of users who searched for "TWICE," we found a correlation between the two.
• Most are in their 20s
• 30s is the next highest up

This data suggests that Wonjungyo is able to capture the interest of TWICE fans and Momo fans, after making her the face of the brand.

Assuming that the brand developed a customer persona that is a Japanese person in their 20s and younger, the strategy of choosing a Japanese person as the face of the brand despite Wonjungyo being a Korean cosmetics brand and trying to make the artist's fan base into the brand's customers seems to have had some success.

In addition, "Wonjungyo" can only be purchased at stores such as PLAZA, LOFT, and Tokyu Hands. This selectivity of sales channels may also play a role in creating a "special" and exclusive feel for the brand.

Looking at the inflow channels to the official Wonjungyo website, most are coming from listing ads, followed by organic search and social media.

Among listing ads, there are "keyword ads," which are display ads that appear based on a user's search history. With the increase in organic searches, there are more opportunities for listing ads, and the percentage of traffic from listing ads must have increased.

Next, we will look at which search keywords led to the website.

Four of the top five keywords were brand names. It is noteworthy that "Momo cosmetics" ranked fourth.

Even if they do not know the exact brand name, many users recognize it as "Momo's cosmetics" as they recall that Momo is promoting the brand, and search for it.

In addition, many users are paying attention to eye makeup products because of the impression that "Momo = tear trough makeup" and because Won Jungyo is known as the "leading expert on tear trough makeup."

For social media, the percentage of those who use YouTube was noteworthy.

The data shows that YouTube makes up over 60% of the total social media sources.

A search for "Wonjungyo" on YouTube displays a video featuring Momo which was posted at the start of the launch. This result suggests that the brand has succeeded in strengthening the idea that "Wonjungyo" = Momo's cosmetics and strengthened its recognition.

There are also many videos of beauty YouTubers who have had their makeup done by Won Jungyo herself. Do the makeup videos made by influencers who are more relatable to the customers make the audience want to use Wonjungyo cosmetics and make them feel like they can apply it as they watch the video?

The strategy of using Japanese K-pop star Momo and using videos to demonstrate the application of its products in an easy-to-understand manner can be said to be a successful marketing method that helps expand brand awareness in Japan simultaneously from the launch of the brand.

The following characteristics can be recognized based on the data of the incoming pages resulting from a search for "Wonjungyo."

• Official website
• Press release
• Website with list of shops with the products
• Curation websites with information about cosmetics stores and its products

From the inflow page, we can see a major "objective" of those searching for "Wonjungyo." It is apparent that many are asking, "Where can I buy Wonjungyo?”

The data shows that many of the users who searched for "Wonjungyo" were looking for information on where they can buy it.

It is thought that there are a good number of people who have decided to buy Wonjungyo at the time of searching.

The data showed that Wonjungyo's in-depth marketing activities conducted with aims to expand into the Japanese market has been successful.

If Wonjungyo had a strategy to attract the younger generation with the aim of making them long-term fans of the brand, the data shows that all of its marketing strategies are currently successful in the following:

• Setting a persona
• Selecting the "face" of your brand
• Investing in listing ads
• Promoting focused on YouTube
• Collaborative videos where beauty YouTubers get their makeup done
• Selecting sales channels that can emphasize "trendiness"

It will be interesting to see what kind of marketing techniques Wonjungyo will use next to promote itself to the Japanese market now that it seems to have achieved a great level of awareness.

▼Data from Dockpit was used in this case study. Dockpit is an online behavior analytics tool provided by VALUES, Inc., and it allows you to access online behavioral data (updated monthly) via your browser so you can research competitor websites and investigate trends. There is a FREE version of Dockpit, so if you are interested in using it, please register below.