Lotte Chilsung Beverage has chosen comedian and TV personality Lee Su-ji as the special advertising model for the 20th anniversary of its flagship soju brand, Cheoeum Cheoreom ("Like the First Time"). The industry says this goes beyond simply hiring a model and is an attempt to reinterpret, in a friendly and cheerful way, the advertising asset Cheoeum Cheoreom has built over 20 years.
According to the liquor industry on the 28th, in the recently released 20th anniversary special ad for Cheoeum Cheoreom, Lee Su-ji recreated past Cheoeum Cheoreom ads shot by Lee Hyori, Suzy, and Jennie in a parody format. Lee delivered the signature dreamlike vibe of traditional soju ads—along with facial acting and camera work—with a comic touch.
A Lotte Chilsung Beverage official said, "Cheoeum Cheoreom is a brand that has been with consumers for a long time. Past ads are also an important asset," adding, "We plan to roll out various marketing efforts to establish ourselves as a brand that spans generations by offering empathy to consumers who have been with Cheoeum Cheoreom and fresh laughs to younger consumers."
The industry interprets the core of this ad as a "reinterpretation of brand memory." Rather than simply restoring past ads, it aims to increase brand familiarity by presenting the scenes consumers remember through parody and humor.
This is seen as in step with recent trends in the advertising industry. More brands are reprocessing past content into memes or short-form formats. Through this, they induce renewed consumption by implementing familiar brand assets in ways that younger consumers enjoy.
A liquor industry official said, "In the past, the star power of the ad model itself was important, but recently it has become more important whether consumers can enjoy and share the ad on social media (SNS) as a piece of content," adding, "Reinterpreting past ads in a parody format is also intended to raise affinity by using scenes consumers remember well."
In fact, the online response to the Cheoeum Cheoreom 20th anniversary special three-part ad series featuring Lee Su-ji has been heated. The three 15-second ads posted on the official Lotte Chilsung liquor YouTube account on the 22nd have recorded many views just six days after release. The "Shake it, like the first time (Lee Hyori parody)" ad has about 530,000 views, "Just like the first feeling (Suzy parody)" about 6.61 million, and "Goes down more smoothly (Jennie parody)" about 6.73 million.
Some say the recent decline in liquor consumption is not unrelated to this ad. According to the National Tax Statistics Portal, shipments of diluted soju fell about 10.9% from 915,596 kiloliters (kℓ) in 2019 to 815,712 kℓ in 2024. As drinking declines especially among younger consumers and the nonalcoholic and low-alcohol markets grow, finding a breakthrough to expand touchpoints with young consumers has emerged as a critical task, reflecting the liquor industry's practical concerns.
A liquor industry official said, "As overall soju consumption decreases, it is realistically difficult to attract young consumers' attention with just a model," adding, "You need to present content-style ads that consumers want to seek out and share on their own to gain traction."
Lee Jong-woo, a professor in the Department of Distribution and Marketing at Namseoul University, said, "If past soju ads focused on the images of celebrities, recently they have shifted toward directions that consumers can directly enjoy and relate to," adding, "As the decline in drinking among younger generations continues, the liquor industry is likely to keep moving away from conventional advertising grammar and pursue new approaches to communicate with consumers."