Sinchon Detour
Positioning Strategy
A seasonal art installation in Sinchon, a region of Seoul, leveraging Sinchon's bright student talent and young demographic to build a stronger identity.
Project Overview
For my Advertising and Consumer Psychology class at Ewha Women's University, my team was tasked with creating a positioning strategy for Sinchon, a region in Seoul, incorporating consumer/ advertising psychology insights and deriving key strategies.
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My Role: Consumer Researcher & Videographer
Sinchon
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Sinchon is a neighbourhood in Seoul, South Korea, known for its vibrant and youthful atmosphere. It is located in the heart of the city, and it is home to three major universities, including Yonsei University, Ewha Womans University, and Sogang University. The area is popular among students and young people, as it offers a variety of affordable restaurants, cafes, and shopping options.
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Sinchon is also known for its pedestrian-friendly walkway, which is a popular spot for events, buskers, and pop-ups. The walkway is lined with street vendors and shops, offering a range of products from fashion and beauty to food and drinks.
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Overall, Sinchon is a dynamic and exciting neighborhood that reflects the energy and spirit of Seoul. It offers a unique blend of history, culture, and modernity, making it a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.
Key Assumptions
As exchange students, we recognized the need to challenge our assumptions and broaden our understanding of the region, given our limited knowledge and experience of the area.
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Strategy
Because of the proximity of 3 major universities in the area, the best strategy is to market to the college demographic (18-23)
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Location
Sinchon does not get as much traffic as Hongdae and therefore does not have a strong identity
3
Tactics
Seeking out local student talent engages and supports the community
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Creating an art installation appeals to the target demographic’s social media habits
Consumer Research
The consumer research efforts involved creating and disseminating surveys to residents and frequent visitors of Sinchon, with a focus on the 18-30 year-old student population, both local and international. The aim was to gather information on their perception of the area, as well as their social media habits, to support key project assumptions.
Social Media Habits
The research findings revealed that Instagram was the dominant social media platform among our target audience, and this information played a critical role in our decision-making process. We recognized that many young visitors deliberately seek out "Instagrammable" locations when planning their trips, which led us to conclude that an art installation event could provide an ideal opportunity to attract this demographic while supporting local students. The proposed event aimed to leverage the power of the arts to generate social media engagement, with a dual purpose of promoting the installation as well as supporting students.
Consumer Perceptions
To further inform our research efforts, we sought to gather qualitative insights into the attitudes and motivations of consumers towards the area. The findings revealed that Sinchon was commonly perceived as a vibrant and energetic neighborhood, with a distinct sense of community that appealed to the student population. Interestingly, for non-local visitors, it became apparent that many had not been previously aware of Sinchon's existence, or had mistaken it for the nearby Hongdae area.
3 / An Opportunity
We asked "What are things you wish you could do in Sinchon?"
Detour
Taking into account the valuable feedback we received, we aimed to create an event that would be easily accessible at any time. Our research also highlighted that Sinchon was home to many festivals, so we wanted to create an installation that would seamlessly blend in with the existing environment, while still capturing people's attention. To that end, we conceptualized "Detour", a unique art installation that would allow visitors to engage with the pieces as they pass through the area, offering a new and exciting way to experience Sinchon.
Art Installations
In exploring art installations in other cities, we recognized that successful installations are often tailored to reflect the character of the local environment and the artists involved. To differentiate our event from other offerings in Sinchon, we decided to make our installation seasonal, with a new theme each time, and with a strong emphasis on showcasing student talent. For the debut theme, we settled on 'Home', which will allow artists to express their unique perspectives on what 'home' means to them, offering a platform for creative exploration and freedom.
Brand Communication
To provide a clear and concise overview of our project, I produced a brief informational video that acted as an introduction during our final presentation.
Reflection
As exchange students, approaching this project proved to be challenging given our limited knowledge of the region. To conduct thorough consumer research, we developed a written survey that was available in both English and Korean, allowing us to gather relevant data from both local and international students.
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In retrospect, we recognize that conducting in-person interviews would have allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of people's emotions and preconceptions of Sinchon, providing more nuanced and accurate information.
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As a testament to the quality of our work, our team was selected to present at a district-wide project showcase alongside another team.