Doosan Corporation is all set for the opening of its new Doota Duty Free store in Dongdaemun, Seoul on Wednesday.
The chaebol was awarded its first-ever downtown duty free licence in the controversial licence bid late last year. The company won the licence previously held by Lotte Duty Free for its Lotte World Tower shop.
Since that stunning coup, Doosan has moved fast to put a strong duty free organisation in place.
In January it announced the appointment of much-respected former WalkerHill Senior Vice President/Head of Duty Free Division Mikyong Kwon as Advisor, Retail & Duty Free Strategy.
Ms Kwon is acting as Advisor to SW Park, Chief Strategy Officer of the newly formed Doosan Doota Duty Free and Doota Mall, established since 1 January.
Doota Duty Free received a further huge boost in April when it announced that South Korean’s hottest Hallyu celebrity, Song Joong-ki, is to star in the retailer’s new marketing campaign (see video below). Song rose rapidly to superstardom after starring in ‘Descendants of the Sun’, a Korean TV drama that has generated phenomenal popularity across much of Asia.
“We decided to feature Song Joong-ki as the model in the Doota Duty Free marketing campaign because his smart, sophisticated image together with his unique charms recently added after starring in “Descendants of the Sun” fit well with the identity of the Doota Duty Free Store that is set to open in Dongdaemun soon,” said a Doota Duty Free spokesperson.
Dongdaemun is a popular tourism destination especially among Chinese tourists, who make up about half of the 7 million foreigners visiting the area every year.
Song is being referred to as “quanminlaogong,” in China – meaning the nation’s most desirable husband in Chinese. He will promote Dongdaemun and the Doota Duty Free Store as well as Korean concepts such as K-fashion, K-pop and K-culture in the region.
“It is my pleasure to offer my endorsement of the soon-to-open Doota Duty Free Store in Dongdaemun, a popular and frequently visited place, especially among Koreans and Chinese alike,” said Song. “I’ll do my best to promote the Doota Duty Free Store and K-brands.”
Doota Duty Free plans various marketing activities featuring Song, including a special exhibition hall for Descendants of the Sun when the store opens.
Pre-opening event celebrates duty free debut
In anticipation of the Grand Opening Doota Duty Free hosted a pre-opening event at Doota Plaza and online from 30 April 30 to 15 May.
During the promotion the retailer gave away free gifts to those who signed up for membership at the event booth installed in Doota Plaza or who followed Doota Duty Free on WeChat, the Chinese mobile text and voice messaging communication service. The free gifts include KW10,000 (US$8.76) worth of online shopping credits, a KW10,000 in-store discount coupon, a three-tiered welcome discount voucher, a KW5,000 Doota Mall gift certificate and mask packs.
For those unable to visit the store during the event, Doota Duty Free operated an online teaser site at www.dootadutyfree.com, allowing customers to join online and receive KW10,000 worth of online shopping credits.
“The pre-opening event aims at growing awareness about the Doota Duty Free outlet as well as the Dongdaemun area among domestic and Chinese customers,” said a Doota Duty Free executive. “We plan to host a variety of events to attract visitors to Doota Duty Free Store as well as Dongdaemun.”
WalkerHill Duty Free assets purchased
As previously reported, Doosan Corporation also acquired the integrated logistics warehouse and IT systems of WalkerHill Duty Free, another long-time Seoul duty free retailer to have lost its licence in last year’s bid. The closing of the deal was announced on 20 April.
The acquisition granted Doosan Corporation the right to use WalkerHill’s 1,818sq m storage space at the integrated logistics warehouse in the Incheon Free Trade Zone. It also included ownership of the IT systems for business operations support systems and online shopping operations. The agreement excluded Walkerhill Duty Free’s inventories.
Additionally the deal included warehouse fixtures and equipment such as storage compartments, CCTV cameras and monitors.
An online duty free shop has been established as a new brand identity of Doota Duty Free. Both the website and mobile app in Korean and Chinese will open simultaneously with the new store.
Song Joong-ki Stars in Doosan Corporation’s Doota Duty Free Marketing Campaign
– Ads featuring hottest Hallyu celebrity to promote Doota Duty Free Store, Korean brands
Doosan Corporation announced on April 20 that actor Song Joong-ki will be featured in a marketing campaign promoting the company’s Doota Duty Free Store. Song has risen to superstardom after starring in “Descendants of the Sun,” a Korean TV drama that is broadcast not only in its home country but also all across Asia.
“We decided to feature Song Joong-ki as the model in the Doota Duty Free marketing campaign because his smart, sophisticated image together with his unique charms recently added after starring in “Descendants of the Sun” fit well with the identity of the Doota Duty Free Store that is set to open in Dongdaemun soon,” said an official of Doota Duty Free.
Dongdaemun is a popular tourism destination especially among Chinese tourists, who make up about half of the 7 million foreigners visiting the area every year.
As the hottest Hallyu star who is being referred to as “quanminlaogong,” meaning the nation’s most desirable husband in Chinese, Song will promote Dongdaemun and the Doota Duty Free Store as well as Korean brands such as K-fashion, K-pop and K-culture in the region. The campaign is expected to be well-received by both domestic and inbound visitors, including Chinese tourists.
“It is my pleasure to offer my endorsement of the soon-to-open Doota Duty Free Store in Dongdaemun, a popular and frequently visited place, especially among Koreans and Chinese alike,” said Song. “I’ll do my best to promote the Doota Duty Free Store and K-brands.”
Doota Duty Free plans to carry out various marketing activities featuring Song, including a special exhibition hall for “Descendants of the Sun” when the duty free outlet opens in mid-May.
