"Goods are also culture"... Wadiz, LG Electronics Figure Funding Sells Out in 7 Minutes
"Goods are also culture"... Wadiz, LG Electronics Figure Funding Sells Out in 7 Minutes
- Goods funding project developed through LG Electronics x Playmobil collaboration, sold out 1,500 sets in just 7 minutes
- Merchandise development becoming a trend among content creators and toy companies… A funding trend as a channel to tell brand stories and gather fanbases
Companies are successfully communicating with Gen-Z and Alpha customers through merchandise that sparks collecting desire.
Life design funding platform Wadiz announced that LG Electronics' goods funding project, developed in collaboration with the German toy brand 'Playmobil', sold out all 1,500 prepared sets within just 7 minutes of opening.
LG Electronics' goods funding project was scheduled to run from July 25 to August 8, but gained tremendous popularity by achieving its goal early, with over 1,600 people flooding in within just 7 minutes of opening. As of the 1st, approximately 86 million won in funding has been raised, and a notice confirming that all limited quantities have been sold out can be confirmed.
This project is counted as the most significant achievement among makers who developed corporate-exclusive goods in the first half of this year. In particular, it is noteworthy that the company developed figures targeting the recent consumer trend of appliance manufacturers purchasing 'things to enjoy'. The limited edition figures first unveiled by LG Electronics on Wadiz consist of 3 types of LG Electronics' representative appliances (WashTower all-in-one washer-dryer, InstaView refrigerator, InstaView oven) and 3 character types including product installation technicians, cooking influencers, and interior designers. The fact that the 3 character types are given MBTI to describe their characteristics is also a fun element.
Regarding why LG Electronics proceeded with this funding, the company said "It was planned to appeal familiarly to future customers, Gen-Z and Alpha 'Zalphas' (a neologism combining Gen-Z born in the mid-1990s to early 2000s and Alpha generation born after 2010)", and explained that "We want to spark collecting desire and provide a fun brand experience."
This merchandise funding craze is also confirmed through funding growth trends. According to Wadiz, character and merchandise funding in the first half of this year collected 2.2 billion won, a 279% increase compared to the same period last year (790 million won), and 26,000 supporter participants flooded in, showing a 197% increase compared to the previous year, demonstrating notable growth.
As a representative example, the project featuring official merchandise from the movie 'Suzume' raised approximately 730 million won in 3 weeks, achieving the largest amount ever for a single merchandise project. Furthermore, merchandise funding projects for dramas and films such as Romantic Doctor, Crayon Shin-chan, and Conan have gathered large fandoms and established a trend.
The analysis indicates that the popularity factors stem from the advantage of effectively communicating brands to future consumers called Gen-Z and Alpha, and being able to check customer response before official sales, leading to an influx of major corporations and various IP and merchandise makers.
A Wadiz official stated, "Looking at recent supporters participating in Wadiz merchandise funding, they have a tendency to express their individuality while experiencing and consuming brands," and conveyed expectations saying, "Riding on this popularity, we will introduce merchandise funding projects with added empathy and fun elements in the second half of the year."