Nongshim launched the second phase of its global Shin Ramyun campaign earlier this year, featuring global K-pop group aespa as the brand’s global ambassador.
The campaign has already generated substantial audience reach: Nongshim said the main video passed 100 million YouTube views within two weeks, compared with about one month for its first aespa campaign.
It was designed specifically for international markets and was rolled out across 14 key countries. Through a variety of digital content, Nongshim showed aespa members enjoying Shin Ramyun while cooking, shopping and travelling, with the brand positioning its signature spicy taste as part of everyday moments.
A Nongshim representative said: “The second campaign shows global consumers, through aespa, how Shin Ramyun fits naturally into everyday life.”
He added that Shin Ramyun’s global slogan is “Spicy Happiness In Noodles”, which uses the brand’s English acronym SHIN.
Korean girl group aespa was announced as Nongshim’s brand ambassador on 19 November last year, when they sang “Spice Up Your Life”, the iconic 1997 hit by British pop group Spice Girls, which conveys the message of delivering the “spicy happiness” of Shin Ramyun to consumers around the world.
The aespa partnership follows another example of Nongshim using Korean-linked entertainment properties to market its products globally. In August 2025, the company launched limited-edition Shin Ramyun, Shrimp Crackers and Shin Toomba Sauce featuring characters from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters.
The products were rolled out across Korea, North America, Europe, Oceania, Southeast Asia and Mexico.
The strategy reflects the growing overlap between Korean entertainment and food, as brands seek to turn the global reach of K-pop, streaming content and other Korean cultural exports into familiarity with Korean products.
It reflects a broader question for food brands using K-pop: Can fandom and repeated exposure to Korean popular culture influence how consumers perceive, and ultimately choose, Korean food?
Media-driven fanaticism
Research from Malaysia offers one indication of how this cultural crossover can influence food consumption.
A recent study of 523 Malaysian Gen Z consumers found that stronger fanaticism towards Korean entertainment was associated with more positive attitudes towards Korean food, which in turn influenced intention to consume it.
But fandom was not the only factor. The study also found that social influence and perceived behavioural control – including factors such as affordability, accessibility and halal assurance – were significant predictors of intention to consume Korean food.
“The globalisation of media has transformed consumer behaviour, shaping preferences beyond entertainment and into lifestyle domains such as food, fashion, and tourism. Among these, the Korean wave (Hallyu) driven by the popularity of K-pop, K-dramas, and online content has become a powerful marketing and cultural export strategy,” wrote researchers.
“Food, as a symbolic and experiential products, is one of the most successful extensions of this phenomenon. Korean cuisine (Hanshik) has not only gained global recognition but has also created new opportunities for the food and beverage (F&B) industry, tourism, and cultural branding.”
They added that Gen Z consumers, who are digital natives and are highly accepting of different cultures, play a critical role in this consumption trend. They are not only frequent consumers of Korean media but also creative participants in fan communities that shape social norms and lifestyle choices.
The findings showed that repeated exposure to Korean culture helps create positive impressions of the cuisine, which then increases the likelihood of trying or buying it. The findings are particularly significant because they demonstrate this relationship in a non-Korean, Muslim-majority market, where factors such as social influence and halal accessibility also play a role.
For Korean food companies expanding internationally, this creates another route into consumers’ lives: rather than introducing an unfamiliar product in isolation, brands can connect it to cultural properties and personalities that audiences already recognise and follow.
