Bulldog boss reveals why 'Made in UK' resonates with Korean men

By Michelle Yeomans

- Last updated on GMT

Bulldog boss reveals why 'Made in UK' resonates with Korean men

Related tags United kingdom South korea

Following the roll out of natural male skin care range, Bulldog in Korea in 2013, Cosmetics Design caught up with founder Simon Duffy to discuss the challenge of the expansion and how men have reacted to the UK brand.

With Asian men looking for more complex solutions that go beyond maintaining hygiene, South Korea is by far leading the way, charming the rest of the region with its' product innovation and creative marketing.

Recognising this, Bulldog partnered up with retail giant Olive Young two years ago to target the 19 million men open to trying new products and complex expert regimes.

"With any expansion, challenges can come in the form of how to translate your brand well; whether you should introduce your range in its' existing format, or getting to grips with regulations and additional information requirements,"​ Duffy tells this publication.

This is where a partner on the region can ease a Western brand into the process, he says.

"Our products are made in the UK to a EU standard, so we were only required to provide additional information, which the Olive Young team provided great assistance with, especially when it came to the logistical challenge of shipping our products."

Furthermore, Duffy says the association with 'Made in the UK' has been highly regarded in Korea.

"Our intention was to go and listen and really understand what's going on in Korea's markets, and while we took direction on the likes of regulatory stickers, the advice was that Bulldog would best resonate with men as an authentic 'Made in the UK' product,​" the co-founder explains.

Investing for the long run..

On asking the Bulldog boss about what sort of profits the company is seeing two years down the line, he notes that brands very seldomly become massive overnight, that "it's about gaining momentum​".

"We've gone into Korea with a priority of investing for the long term and there's still a long way to go if we want to be the biggest brand​," ​Simon says.

The young entrepreneur says that's going to require investment in marketing, PR and the digital side and more innovation with the brand's range.

"We've seen some really creative advertising in Korea where people with phones 100 meters near a store get promotional messages personalised to them based on their profile. Advertising that we have yet to see in Europe or the US," ​Duffy concludes, inspired by the future.

Related news

Show more

Related products

show more

Exosomes: Passing Trend or Transformative Reality?

Exosomes: Passing Trend or Transformative Reality?

Content provided by Naolys | 23-Feb-2024 | Sponsored Link

Exosomes, microscopic vesicles naturally present in abundance within Plant Cells, have garnered significant attention within the scientific and cosmetic...

Give collagen and your products a boost

Give collagen and your products a boost

Content provided by Lycored SARL | 14-Feb-2024 | White Paper

Lumenato, Lycored’s scientifically supported proprietary wellness extract, gets to work quickly complementing and protecting the structural benefits of...

Follow us

Products

View more

Podcast

Beauty 4.0 Podcast