Singer G-Dragon (GD) is in full swing with food and beverage (F&B) collaborations. Following a highball and beer, this time it's walnut cookies. The industry sees this as an attempt to draw in not only the fandom but also everyday consumers by expanding edible products using intellectual property (IP).
According to the distribution and food industry on the 1st, the "Daisy Bomb Walnut Cookies," a collaboration between GD and Buchang Confectionery, are being sold in limited quantities at the Shinsegae Department Store Seoul Gangnam branch from on the 26th to on the 5th. After the product was first unveiled at GD's fan meeting on the 26th and official release requests poured in among fans, it was set to be sold for just 10 days.
Daisy Bomb Walnut Cookies are made using sweet red bean paste with whole chestnuts and Korean-grown chestnuts. They are topped with a daisy-shaped chocolate that symbolizes GD. A box containing 10 cookies is currently sold for 30,000 won, and a set that includes a Daisy Walnut Cookie key ring is 47,000 won. Although the price is five to six times higher than the market, where 20 walnut cookies sell for around 10,000 won, it sold out on the first day, and demand is so strong that proxy purchase requests have appeared on secondhand trading platforms.
This is similar to the response seen in last year's highball and beer collaborations unveiled by GD. The "Peaceminusone Highball," sold exclusively at CU, a convenience store operated by BGF Retail, sold out all 8,888 limited units prepared on the day of release, and became a hit item at CU by surpassing cumulative sales of 10 million units six months after launch.
"Daisy Ale," sold exclusively at GS25, a convenience store operated by GS Retail, also maintained the No. 1 spot in craft beer sales for three months after its release. Since the launch of Daisy Ale, ale beer sales in the first quarter of this year increased by about 30%. A GS Retail official said, "In the overall beer category, the share of ale also exceeded 30%, showing that Daisy Ale influenced the expansion of demand for ale."
The industry views GD's F&B collaborations as an "IP expansion strategy through edible products." The analysis is that food and beverages, which are low-priced and highly accessible, not only quickly convert an artist's IP into the consumption sphere but are also advantageous for targeting general consumers beyond the fandom. A distribution industry official said, "Fashion or concerts tend to have high entry barriers in terms of price and accessibility, but food and beverage can be purchased with relatively little burden," adding, "It's easy to approach with the idea of 'trying it once,' so the transition to everyday consumption is fast."
The fact that F&B allows for repeat consumption is also cited as a strength. A food industry official said, "Albums or clothing have long purchase cycles, but food is consumed daily, so it inevitably leads to repeat purchases by the fandom," adding, "If product completeness is also supported, there is a strong possibility it will settle in as a 'steady seller' through the choices of general consumers."
Hwang Yong-sik, a professor of business administration at Sejong University, said, "As 'experience consumption' has recently become a trend, consumers who previously had no point of contact are often buying artist IP collaboration products with the thought of 'let's try it once,'" adding, "Initially, one-off consumption may appear depending on the artist's recognition and buzz, but if the product has competitiveness such as taste and high quality, the repurchase rate will also rise."