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Seeing a lack of Korean representation within the fragrance market paved the way for Wonny Lee to start a brand centered on scents inspired by Korea, Elorea.<\/p>\n
During a trip to South Korea, he and his wife visited a well-known boutique beauty store. \u201cThe cosmetic side was obviously very crowded with these cool Korean brands. But then, when we walked over to the fragrance section, we found that all of the brands in that section\u2014essentially, you can buy them in New York. There was just no\u2026Asian representation on the shelf.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee, who started his career working in venture capital, co-founded the brand with his wife, Su min Park, in 2020. Elorea sells products like Hazy Blue, a perfume incorporating sandalwood and amber that was inspired by \u201cthe Korean word \u0113nae [\uc774\ub0b4], which means the bluish, hazy energy that is visible in the distance during sunset.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marketing Brew talked to Lee about how the two of them have approached Elorea\u2019s marketing strategy since starting the brand, which recently opened its flagship store in New York City\u2019s Nolita neighborhood.<\/p>\n
Since debuting, Elorea has rolled out four campaigns featuring a mix of Korean models, celebrities,\u00a0 and influencers. One included South Korean actor Yoon Chan-young, who starred in the popular Netflix show All of Us Are Dead<\/em>.<\/p>\n Another campaign, which Lee said represented the \u201cchanges and evolution of Korea,\u201d featured a half-Black, half-Korean model as well as an older Korean model.<\/p>\n Elorea is primarily advertising to Gen Z right now. \u201cAs we grow as a business, I\u2019m focused on, obviously, the younger generation because it\u2019s incredibly, incredibly difficult to get people to switch once they\u2019ve fallen in love with a particular fragrance.\u201d Still, he said it\u2019s about maintaining balance. \u201cI do see us evolving and using different types of ambassadors\u2014age-wise, their target audience, and who they resonate with\u2014across the board.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Lee, the recent explosion of Korean culture and entertainment in the US has given Elorea a wider potential customer base.<\/p>\n The email newsletter guaranteed to bring you the latest stories shaping the marketing and advertising world, like only the Brew can.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cBecause of the prevalence and rise of Korean cinema, entertainment, pop, and even food, we find that there is a really unique wave, as we call it, of Korean influence within the West,\u201d he said, noting that he recently went to a BLACKPINK concert and \u201cthe majority of the audience was not Korean.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just realized, like, wow\u2014all these people can potentially be our customers because we all share that common thread of just wanting to learn more about Korea,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Lee said Elorea\u2019s \u201cmost popular channel\u201d is Instagram, where it has more than 17,000 followers. The brand posts a mix of campaign imagery and Reels, like a recent one promoting its new flagship store.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re also trying to be more active on TikTok. I will be honest; it\u2019s a learning curve. But we did have one viral moment within TikTok where we just did a five-second reel,\u201d he said, explaining that the video, which featured one of Elorea\u2019s perfume bottles, was created by a customer who\u2019s created videos and ads for other brands in the past.<\/p>\n \u201cWe ended up posting it because it was so beautiful.\u201d He said the video \u201cblew up,\u201d gaining more than 3 million views, so the brand commissioned three more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nBut first, K-pop<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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