Korean brand buyers tune out of soft sell tactics

While a Korean frenzy has been sweeping the city, Hong Kong’s love for Korean cosmetic brands and drama has not necessarily translated.The impact of TV advertising and product placement from Korean beauty brands on Hong Kong consumers is the lowest among Greater China, a Nielsen study finds.The findings show respondents from China have a greater interest towards Korean TV, music, celebrities and fashion. They also pay more attention to products and brands featured in media and were most likely to buy these products used by their favorite characters.But respondents from Hong Kong are more likely to ignore such product placements (11%), a rate higher than Mainland China, Taiwan and Singapore.Also, TV as source of information in Hong Kong is lowest among China (39%), Taiwan (29%) and Singapore (26%).Although the love for Korean TV series is high in Hong Kong, it's not that high comparing to China and Taiwan.So why do consumers shop for Korean beauty products?While cultural or climate differences would have a change on the buying decision, Korean-brand buyers from the four markets shared the same perspective; they all considered hydration and deep skin cleansing as the top two benefits of beauty products.When consumers shop for beauty products, the beauty advisors’ expertise was essential for most of the respondents, particularly among Korean beauty brands users from China and Singapore.For non-Korean brands, Chinese respondents, in particular, believed that French beauty products had good reputation, whereas consumers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore voted for Japanese cosmetics.Consumers from Hong Kong had a positive perception of European brands, citing “good reputation (63%), “high quality” (62%) and “proven efficacy” (49%).“For international beauty brands, they are still associated by consumers to be of good quality with sound reputation,” said Yvonne Lum, vice president, sales effectiveness, Nielsen.“Whether they can be successful in the market relies on their strategies in terms of innovation and product variants, in particular, focus strongly on the hydration benefits or more adapted to Asian market.”In terms of the beauty products shopping basket, Korean brands were top choice among four regions for personal use.However, when it comes to gifts consumers from China, Taiwan and Singapore prefer gifting international brands.Also, Chinese respondents are more likely to shop online for beauty. Chinese cosmetic consumers actively engage and interact with brands and online communities before actual purchasing.“While Korea was seen by consumers as their next beauty shopping destination, their loyalty towards Korean brands were different when it comes to shopping for personal use or as a gift, providing a potential gain for international brands from switching,” said Lum.The survey is based on online interviews with 1,900 women aged 18 to 55, who have purchased Korean beauty products for their personal use in the past six months.