Jinro has released a new brand targetting young women.
Jinro, founded in 1924, is the largest producer of soju, a Korean distilled alcohol similar to Japanese shochu and vodka.
This year the company is celebrating several milestones, with the 10th anniversary of the Chamisul, currently the highest selling variety of soju in Korea, and the launch of a new drink, named simply “J,” which targets young women.
Chamisul was launched on October 19th, 1998, when Korean was deeply mired in financial crises. Rather than rely on traditional advertising, Jinro employed “human bomb marketing,” announcing the new drink by sending representatives directly to bars and hip nightlife spots. Until that time, it had been an unwritten rule that soju contained at least 25% alcohol by volume. Chamisul, targeting a younger demographic, broke this tradition by introducing a milder drink with 23%, which has been gradually reduced over the past decade to the current 19.5%. Since its launch, over 14 billion bottles, which laid end to end, would stretch from Seoul to the southern city of Busan, according to the Jinro website.
The new “J” variety of Jinro was launched September 26, also has a relatively low alcohol content of 19.5%, and is distilled with mineral water extracted from 1032 meters below sea level. The launch was announced through a series of print and TV ads featuring popular actress Song Hei Gyu, and using key words such as slim, trendy, and cool. This and other Jinro products are now prominently advertised as being free of genetically modified ingredients.
September also saw the launch of Aqua Blue, a new mineral water in Jinro’s Seoksu water line. Mijin An
Ten years of Chamisul. The alcohol content has been gradually reduced to 19.5%.
Learn more:
Other Jinro products
Jinro official site (Korean)