Hongdae area of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is famous for its dense forests of cafes. But these days, not only the smell of coffee but also the economic power of the billion-dollar K-pop industry is floating in the air here. Here, every few steps, big banners and posters of some beautiful star will be seen outside the cafe. A huge crowd of youth holding mobile phones is roaming around these shops. This is the rapidly growing ‘Birthday Café’ culture of South Korea, which has now taken the form of a very successful and organized business model. The entire structure of Birthday Cafe is based on ‘fan-created and fan-funded’ economy. Months before the stars’ birthdays, fan clubs themselves raise money among themselves and act as event planners. They approach café owners and rent the entire café for a few days or partner with them. After this the café is completely decorated with pictures of that star, balloons and theme based merchandise. According to CNN report, for cafe owners, this is a deal of ‘zero-investment and high-profit’ i.e. zero investment and huge profits. Fans bear the entire cost of decorations and merchandise, while café owners only sell coffee and desserts. The sales of cafes increase manifold during these events as compared to normal days. Yoo Ji-hye, owner of ‘Cafe EU’, says that there is no space to set foot here during the peak season. A unique marketing tool used to attract customers is ‘cup sleeves’ and “photo cards”. When a fan buys a drink, he gets a free customized cup holder and stickers with the star’s photo. Given the success of this business model, it has now expanded beyond K-pop to Korean actors, football-baseball players. Even religious institutions are adopting it. Buddha Purnima near Yeonhwasa Temple in Seoul A ‘Happy Buddha Day’ themed birthday cafe was opened, where youth were given photo cards of Buddha. This trend has become a growth engine for South Korea’s tourism by coming to 8 to 10 different cafes. These foreign tourists come to Seoul to feel the ‘birthday vibe’ of the favorite idol. They plan regular cafe tours, in which they visit 8 to 10 different cafes in a day. This is also giving a boost to the cafe industry, local hotels, transportation and retail market. To handle this network, proper digital platforms and apps have been created, where fans can see event listings, merchandise details.
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‘Birthday Cafe’ becomes the global engine of Korea’s tourism: Foreign tourists are flocking to this formula of zero investment and profit.
