'The winter festival of Asians,' the 2025 Harbin Winter Asian Games has opened, but the response from the retail industry appears to be sluggish compared to previous years. The Winter Asian Games were once a cradle of Korean winter sports, giving birth to countless sports stars and winning the affection of the entire nation.
At the 1990 Sapporo Games in Japan, Korea’s short track legend Kim Ki-hoon made history by winning three gold medals, marking a new chapter in domestic winter sports. In 2007, speed skater Lee Gyu-hyeok won two gold medals at the Changchun Games in China. At the 2011 Almaty Games in Kazakhstan, Lee Sang-hwa placed in the speed skating 500-meter event, heralding the birth of the 'Queen of the Ice.' Since then, Lee has won consecutive gold medals at the Vancouver and Sochi Olympics, becoming a central figure in the sports marketing campaigns of various corporations.
However, according to ChosunBiz's report on the 10th, most corporations have withdrawn from marketing for the 2025 Harbin Winter Asian Games, with the exception of BBQ and Domino's Pizza. BBQ is running an event on its website offering a 5,000 won discount on golden olive chicken if a Korean athlete wins a gold medal that day. Domino's Pizza is providing a 10,000 won discount on all large delivery orders of pizza until the 14th without any special conditions.
Compared to the past, the marketing enthusiasm is notably cold. Chicken and pizza franchises offered up to a 50% discount competitively during the 2017 Sapporo Games if gold medals were won.
Department stores and large supermarkets also organized food exhibitions related to the Winter Asian Games and special exhibitions for cheering items to enhance the atmosphere. The home appliance industry actively participated in sports marketing by holding special exhibitions for large TVs.
As widely known, the Asian Games are typically held every four years. This event has taken place after an 8-year hiatus since no country bid to host the Asian Games following the conclusion of the 2017 Sapporo Games. According to the original schedule, the next event should have been held in 2021. However, due to the spread of COVID-19, there was little margin to host international sports events.
This year is devoid of the Olympics or World Cup. The Harbin Winter Asian Games drew attention as the only mega event among comprehensive sports competitions.
Experts note that the upcoming Winter Asian Games have a preparatory nature for the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics in Italy. As a result, consumer interest in the Winter Asian Games has diminished. Unlike the athletes, the response from consumers attending the Winter Asian Games is lukewarm. Many consumers were unaware of the fact that the Asian Games would be held before the opening.
Retail industry experts analyzed that with high interest rates and inflation already squeezing consumer sentiment, there has been a reduction in spending capacity right after the Lunar New Year holidays. The expenditure had focused on travel and gifts during the holiday period, which indicates that consumers are not in a position to pay attention to the Winter Asian Games.
Moreover, alongside the MZ generation, there has been a change in sports consumption patterns, with a growing preference for mobile short-form content rather than watching games on TV.
Kim So-hyung, a consultant at Davis & Company, said, 'As the consumption patterns in sports have changed, even for the same sports event, short-form digital content reflecting the consumption characteristics of the MZ generation is being consumed more than large-scale events centered around TV broadcasts.' He added, 'Although the popularity of winter sports has risen, the recognition remains low compared to summer sports, and the political instability in the country has not yet been fully resolved, making it an unsuitable atmosphere for comfortably enjoying sports.'