SEOUL: South Korea’s traditional manufacturing giants are reinventing themselves online, rolling out memes, characters and humorous videos to win over millennials and Generation Z – a demographic increasingly shaped by workplace culture, relatability and digital storytelling rather than by legacy brand power.
Once defined by rigid hierarchies and a smokestack-era image, the country’s manufacturing sector is now fighting a perception gap as it competes with information technology firms and startups for young talent. Companies from shipbuilders to steelmakers are embracing social media in an effort to shed their old reputations and signal cultural change.
HD Hyundai sparked one of the year’s most notable industrial-sector viral hits: a three-minute YouTube commercial starring actor Kim Woo-bin that blends action movie tropes with comedic sketches. The video, released a month ago, has already drawn 18.35 million views.
The shipbuilder said the campaign was designed to “break away from the traditional heavy industry image” while highlighting its advanced lineup, from ultra-large ammonia carriers to dual-fuel container ships and submarines.
Posco is leaning into character-based marketing, turning its bear mascot, Poseokho, into a YouTube personality.
On Posco Studio – a channel with 335,000 subscribers – the bear is depicted as a quirky employee cooking meals, travelling and exploring steel mills.
The steelmaker also produces web dramas, comedian-led facility tours and tech-focused explainers, a mix that aims to blend Posco’s industrial identity with a more approachable, lifestyle-oriented tone.
Hyundai Motor is cultivating its own social media fandom with LLL – a slug character portrayed as an office worker commuting by subway. — The Korea Herald/ANN
