As soon as Netflix's original variety show "Culinary Class Wars: Season 2" (hereafter Culinary Class Wars 2) was released, retailers rushed out collaboration products. That's because collaboration items in Culinary Class Wars 1 sold out in succession, cementing the formula that "content equals sales." With the race to lock down chefs and recipes heating up, retailers and food companies are moving quickly to collaborate with the chefs before the winner is announced.
According to the retail and food industry on the 30th, collaborations with the chefs are continuing mainly at convenience stores and cafes following the release of Culinary Class Wars 2. While collaborations for Culinary Class Wars 1 kicked into gear after the program ended, Culinary Class Wars 2 is seeing pre-release collaborations even before the winner is announced.
Convenience stores moved first. Emart24 signed an exclusive pre-release deal with White Spoon grants chef Son Jong-won and rolled out lunch boxes, kimbap, and sandwiches starting on the 26th of last month, ahead of the broadcast. Starbucks launched the "Barbecue Two-Cut Beef Sandwich," a collaboration with Black Spoon grants You Yong-wook, Barbecue Lab Director, in limited quantities at select stores earlier this month. Despite the steep price of 14,500 won, it sold up to more than five times the volume of existing popular sandwiches. As it sold out every lunchtime, the number of stores selling it was expanded from five to 10.
CJ CheilJedang, which provides the dedicated pantry used by the grants chefs on the show, plans to introduce products that collaborate on recipes with the chefs. Maeil Dairies Co. is also said to be reviewing a collaboration product with the grants chefs.
Behind this rapid rollout is a learning effect from Culinary Class Wars 1. CU, a convenience store operated by BGF Retail, launched "Chestnut Tiramisu" with winning chef Kwon Sung-jun right after the show ended and sold a cumulative 2.5 million units. Lotteria's "Napoli Mafia Mozzarella Burger," released in collaboration with Kwon, sold 6 million units in total and was made a regular menu item.
Mom's Touch's "Edward Lee Thigh Burger," a collaboration with Culinary Class Wars 1 runner-up chef Edward Lee, also sold out within 30 minutes of pre-orders opening. Lotte Mart's "It's Me Series" beef grill items, created with chef Choi Kang-rok, sold more than 120,000 units within three months of launch.
The industry views the Culinary Class Wars franchise as a reliable intellectual property (IP) and is opting for a pre-investment strategy. The narrative built by blind evaluations and a survival format stirs viewers' desire to root for contestants, naturally leading them to buy products tied to a chef's story.
A food industry official said, "The success formula shown by Culinary Class Wars is that the affection for one's 'one pick' (the single favorite among many candidates) while watching the show translates into purchases," adding, "There's growing recognition that missing the timing early in the broadcast reduces the effect, so even before the show ends, pre-collaborations are increasing."
In particular, some in the industry say that while Culinary Class Wars 1 broadened interest in Korean food, Culinary Class Wars 2 is further solidifying the path from content to purchase. The aim is to target global viewers and pursue overseas expansion of K-food.
A distribution industry official said, "Culinary Class Wars 2 is so popular that it ranks near the top in 93 countries where Netflix operates," adding, "From the standpoint of strengthening presence and brand recognition in overseas markets, pre-collaboration is inevitably attractive."
Lee Eun-hee, a professor of consumer science at Inha University, said, "To prevent collaboration products from ending as a 'flash in the pan,' planning and R&D for long-term sales are necessary," adding, "If the taste and story of collaboration products are continually extended online and through social media after the broadcast, expansion of the K-food market will also be possible."