France, a beauty and fashion powerhouse, has been a hard nut to crack for many Korean cosmetics companies.

Although local South Korean brands have spent a huge amount on marketing since the 1980s to gain traction there, they have seen little success.

Making matters worse, social media has rapidly transformed marketing trends, meaning traditional marketing through TV commercials and offline stores are not as effective as before.

Korean influencer marketing startup Ppanam’s CEO Ham Dong-hyuk suggests companies need to learn about French consumers if they want to build brand recognition there.

“The first thing a company should do is to gain trust from French consumers, who tend to buy products from someone they can trust,” Ham told The Korea Herald.

“Ppanam creates trustworthy content, which not only helps deliver true stories behind brands, but also improves the sales of our partners’ products” he added.

Founded three years ago as a YouTube-based content maker, Ppanam, named after Paris’ old nickname Paname, now operates on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. The startup produces videos of French influencers reviewing beauty products or fashion items from Korea. Partnering up with more than 100 influencers in France, the company has so far made more than 300 pieces of social media content.

Among collaborative projects with French influencers is a YouTube video featuring French K-pop cover dancers dancing in front of the Arc of Triomphe in traditional Korean garments. The video has exceeded 2.2 million views.

The members of Ppanam first check products in person before sending the items over to French influencers. Then, they come up with a plan to show the true values of the items for consumers in collaboration with French YouTubers or Instagrammers. They also conduct online surveys on a regular basis to better understand consumers.

Ppanam is one of the first Korean marketing startups that connect Korean companies with French consumers through social media channels. Some competitors have been sprouting up in the segment in recent months, but Ham said he was not worried about competition.

“I don’t think new players in the marketing segment is a challenge for Ppanam,” said the CEO, adding “Instead, we are building and expanding the market together.”

In 2020, Ham said the company would try to work with French influencers to promote not only Korean brands but the cultural aspects of the nation in Europe.

“With the increasing popularity of K-pop and the overall Korean culture, it seems now is the best time for companies like Ppanam to help Korean firms to tap into the French market,” he said. 

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)