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CU Expands Collaboration with Popular Character ‘Ganadi’ with New Drink line and Collectible Caps

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Summary

CU Expands Collaboration with Popular Character ‘Ganadi’ with New Drink line and Collectible Caps
Type	Other	Genre	Character/Licensing

CU Expands Collaboration with Popular Character ‘Ganadi’ with New Drink line

and Collectible Caps

This case illustrates the evolving interplay between domestic distribution platforms and character IPs,

offering a notable example of how Korea’s character industry is expanding its consumer base through

innovative goods-based engagement strategies.

CU has launched a character collaboration campaign featuring “Ganadi,” a character that gained popularity

as a meme on social media. Following the sell-out success of the initial “Ganadi Banana Milk,”

the brand has expanded the lineup with mango and grapefruit drinks, featuring bottle caps adorned with

randomized facial expressions of the character. The campaign has gained strong traction among

MZ-generation consumers, especially through SNS-driven user participation. As a result, CU’s character

IP product sales have grown more than sixfold over the past three years, reinforcing its strategy of

integrating collectibles into everyday consumer products.

♦ Goods Marketing

Participatory goods marketing has emerged as a strategy not only for IP monetization but also for

boosting sales and enhancing customer engagement.

♦ Consumer Trends

The combination of social media fandom and functional collectibles reflects a shift in content

consumption and distribution trends in Korea’s character industry.

♦ Retail Collaboration Models

The use of convenience store retail channels for character IP expansion presents a scalable collaboration

model for small and mid-sized content companies.

Source

JoongAng Economic News. (2025. 8. 20)

Source

JoongAng Economic News