McCol
McCol (Korean: 맥콜, from 麥 + cola) is a South Korean soft drink with a barley flavor. It is produced by Ilhwa, a subsidiary of the Tongil Group. It is known for its longevity and high vitamin C content. It comes in cans of 160, 190, 250, and 355mL, and bottles of 0.5 and 1.5L.[1]
History
[edit]In the late 1970s, South Korea's booming economy led to a surplus of barley as popular diet shifted. Aiming to preserve the price of barley for farmers, the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation (농어촌개발공사, now 농수산식품유통공사) sought to develop new ways to consume barley, leading it to develop McCol in 1979. After pitching the idea to multiple producers, only Ilhwa agreed to produce the drink. McCol first entered the market on July 21, 1982 with an initial batch of 50000 cans and facing stiff competition from Coca-Cola and Chilsung Cider.[2] In response, McCol underwent intensive marketing campaign,[3] pitching itself since 1984 as a healthy drink.[2] From 1987 January to October, Ilhwa spent 40,000,000,000 South Korean won on marketing alone, nearly triple that of Coca-Cola at the time. Aiming for the youth market, 80% of that budget was spent on TV adverts, with the company recruiting celebrities like Cho Yong-pil. McCol rose from a market share of 5.6% to 14–15% from 1986 to 1987,[3] and earned around ₩9 billion annually.[4] McCol soon released containers of 200mL, 340mL, and 640mL.[2] In the 1990s, the drink was discontinued due to being out-competed by other brands. However, after a positive consumer taste survey, it was rebooted in early 2000s.[5][4]
McCol Zero, a low-sugar and calorie variant, was launched in February 2023,[6] following the zero-sugar industry trend. By September 2024, over 15 million cans were sold,[7] and by 2025, 6.4 billion cans had been sold.[6] In recent times Ilhwa is seeking to expand McCol internationally, exporting the drink to the US, Japan, Russia, Australia, and others. Additionally, Ilhwa signed contracts in South Africa in 2023 and Mongol in 2024.[8]
Some Christians boycott the drink as they view the Unification Church, who is affiliated with the Tongil Group, as heretical.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "일화". www.ilhwa.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-04-13.
- ^ a b c 고, 은빛 (2019-07-18). "[틈새강자] 콜라·사이다 틈바구니서 우뚝 선 37살 맥콜". 한국경제 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-03-02.
- ^ a b 李, 英姬 (July 1988). "[이 달의 広告] 飮料市場에서 자리굳힌 맥콜広告의 成功要因". 經營과 마아케팅. 20 (7): 92–94 – via DBpia.
- ^ a b 이, 나연 (1 April 2002). "[파워브랜드]쌍쌍바-맥콜등 복고바람타고 재출시 인기". 동아일보 – via Naver News.
- ^ 변, 형섭 (2001-08-13). "맥콜…써니텐…환타…미린다 식음료시장 복고열기 후끈". 한국일보 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-04-22.
- ^ a b 김, 윤구 (2025-01-14). "일화 '맥콜', 43년간 누적 64억캔 판매". Yonhap News.
- ^ "맥콜 제로 판매 1500만개 돌파...장수 음료 살리는 제로 열풍". 매일경제 (in Korean). 2024-09-19. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
- ^ 이, 정한 (2025-02-20). "맥콜 신화 일화 "수출 확대 글로벌 기업 도약"". 세계일보 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2025-02-19. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
- ^ 홍, 의현 (October 8, 2016). "'맥콜', '탄산수'…이단 기업 제품 주의". Daily Good News.