Today, I would like to summarize the recent controversy surrounding 'Baekham'. Do you know Baek Jong-won? This is a story related to the products and marketing strategies from The Born Korea, which he leads. The name 'Baekham' brings a smile, but in fact, there are various issues at the center of the controversy.

First of all, the name 'Baekham' itself is marketed by closely associating it with Baek Jong-won's image. Some people have started to say that this confuses consumers about whether they are buying ham or if the chef's image is being prioritized. Some netizens criticize it as excessive promotion. Of course, it could be a strategy based on simple marketing theory, but from the consumer's perspective, they want to know the quality and value of the ham they are buying.

Baekham, consisting of 9 pieces of 200g ham, is priced at 51,900 won, with a discounted price of 28,500 won, but it is still considered expensive.

Meanwhile, during the recent Korean Lunar New Year holiday, it was announced that there would be a significant discount, but consumers criticized that the regular price is higher than other products and the quality is lower. Baek Jong-won stated on his YouTube channel, "The gift set consisting of 9 pieces of Baekham (200g) will be sold at a 45% discount from the regular price of 51,900 won to 28,500 won until the 21st on The Born Mall," and added, "We used 100% Korean pork, and the price is really good. If it were me, I would buy about 10 sets," which led to the gift set selling out instantly.

However, this is where the controversy began. Some consumers pointed out that compared to Spam, which holds the number one market share in the canned ham market, Baekham's price is actually higher and its pork content is lower. At that time, the lowest price for a set of 9 Spam was around 21,000 won, and the pork content was 91.3%, compared to Baekham's 85.4%.

Of course, it is positive that Baekham uses 100% domestic pork, but among consumers, there are criticisms that "The Born Korea is deceiving consumers by intentionally setting the regular price of Baekham high and then offering significant discounts."

In response, Baek Jong-won explained on his YouTube channel on the 26th of last month, "As a latecomer, the production cost is high, so there is a significant difference in cost," and regarding the difference in pork content, he said, "The difference in meat content based on 200g is about 14g, and in terms of meat cost, it is less than 100 won, so would we reduce the meat content to save 100 won?"

'Baekham Controversy' Baek Jong-won The Born Korea, stock price down 72% in 3 months after listing [Yonhap News Link]

Ultimately, this controversy did not easily subside even after the Lunar New Year holiday, and on the 3rd, The Born Korea's stock price recorded its lowest price, so it seems necessary to pay attention to how this will unfold in the future. The 'Baekham controversy' can be seen as a result of how the brand power of a celebrity and marketing strategies affect consumers, and what the actual value of the product is, based on netizens' reactions.