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Consuming Mayday
  • 박신의 수습기자
  • 등록 2018-11-19 10:56:49
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There is a saying, “Too much is as bad as too little.” This saying perfectly fits the “special day” culture. The basic qualification of the intelligent consumer is rationality, but special days, such as Pepero Day and White Day have interrupted rational consuming many times. Not all consuming is irrational, since it is possible to buy reasonably the product for “OO Day.” However, it seems that unnecessary consuming is encouraged or an atmosphere is created that pressures consumers to buy specific products for a specific day. Therefore, to explore this phenomenon the Pharos investigated which special days exist in Korea and how rational consuming might be encouraged as they approach.

 

When a special day is coming soon, supermarkets and the convenience stores get ready for that by advertising products and displaying merchandise. It is so-called “day marketing,” and when that particular day is coming, people’s desire to consume is stimulated, whether products are needed or not. The successful cases of day marketing result in a sharp increase in sales, while the failures have little effect on consumer behavior. Then, how much does the rate of sales increase through day marketing? According to the examples of Valentine’s Day and White Day, for about 2 weeks there were increases of up to 919.1% and 720.5%, respectively. Also, Pepero Day and the 31st day of the month event by Baskin Robbins had applied day marketing to stimulate the consumer’s appetite. This is not something consumers can just ignore. Furthermore, there are many kinds of consumption factors affecting their sharp sales increases.



 

According to the survey conducted among students of Kyonggi University, 90% of respondents have bought or received a product on a special day. Among them, 3/4 said that they bought something with the purpose of interaction, while at least more than a quarter said they bought something just because others did. Moreover, respondents who received a product most commonly answered, “Thankful but felt like I was tricked by sellers.” To sum up the results and interpret them, it is obvious that irrational consuming has happened because of day marketing. Especially, it is remarkable that over 3/4 of respondents who received a product gave negative answers. This could be interpreted to mean that consuming is not healthy. One more thing to look into carefully is if people really know about why the special day was established, even days the government originally made to encourage consuming. In the survey, respondents who said “Yes” to the fourth question typically, did not know the reasons for special days , which means barely anybody actually knows about the origins or purposes of special days.

 

The name “OO Day” has a big impact on the sales of products. Therefore, many companies use “day marketing.” Most of the special days were designed for commercial purposes by companies, but “Garaetteok Day” was designed for the good of the country. November 11 is “Farmers’ Day.” The 11th day of November, “Farmers’ Day,” is called ‘十一’ in Chinese characters. “Garaetteok Day” is a statutory holiday that was conceived because when ‘’ goes under ‘and the symbol becomes ‘.’ However, these days, “Pepero Day” is more familiar to people. According to the sales of Lotte Mart in 2014, the amount of Pepero sales in the week of “Pepero Day” increased by about 8308% compared to other weeks. Consumers should not buy products only because of corporate advertising and commercialism but rather spend with an accurate sense of purpose. Since 2006, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has been holding an event on November 11 to raise public interest in “Farmers’ Day.” “Garaetteok Day” is a name derived from the idea that November 11 when written in numbers is the shape of four long, thin bar rice cakes. “Farmers’ Day” has the purpose of promoting not Pepero but rice cakes, which are traditional food made with our rice.

 

For many people, “OO Day” has become an important event. Buying and exchanging certain items with people around us on “OO Day” has permeated our lives. However, it's time to take a critical view. Instead of being seduced by “day marketing,” you should be aware of the products and buy them only after making rational decisions. Consumption and marketing are very complex, but if you think about it a little, you can avoid irrational consumption. Now, you should ask yourself the following before consuming an item on “OO Day,”: "Am I buying this product because I need it and is it a worthwhile purchase?" This question will be a signal to help you notice the pitfalls of unnecessary consumption. Also, a short warmhearted handwritten letter can be more valuable than a gift on “OO Day.”



   

71st Cub ReporterPARK SINUIdean0305@naver.com

71st Cub ReporterMOON SOHYUNsohyun7709@daum.net

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