Telecom provider KT opens university-themed pop-up for young customers

Life & Style

Published: 31 May. 2023, 14:44 Updated: 31 May. 2023, 17:01

Telecom provider KT opens university-themed pop-up for young customers

The exterior of KT's ″Y Campus″ pop-up store in Yeonnam-dong, western Seoul. It ran for 10 days until Sunday. [KT]

Many brands have been jumping on the pop-up store bandwagon and focusing on providing new experiences to young consumers in recent years.

Earlier this month, a university-themed pop-up store made its way to Yeonnam-dong, western Seoul. Spanning five floors, the building was filled with programs that fit the concept, namely, making student IDs and participating in special lectures or creative one-day classes.

The interesting factor was the fact that it was hosted and organized by local telecom provider KT.

It may seem as though college education and wireless carriers are two very distinctive sectors, but the idea derives from the company’s subsidiary brand Y, which targets customers in their 20s and aims to create content that appeals to that specific age range.

Y provides calling and data plans for 20-somethings as well as makes merchandise through collaborations with popular brands like Etude House and Oriental Brewery. More information is available on its mobile app, Y Box.

Lockers in KT's Y Campus pop-up store [SHIN MIN-HEE]

Wanting to approach these youngsters in an offline environment, KT decided to create the pop-up store “Y Campus” in Hongdae, a hotspot among such generations.

It ran for 10 days until Sunday.

The entrance to Y Campus included a grassy area with a bulletin board and a cafe truck. Staff members handed out sticker books, telling visitors that they needed to be filled out after completing tasks on each floor. The missions were simple: trying out Y collaboration merchandise like perfume and writing short reviews or decorating your phone with stickers that were designed by emerging Y-sponsored artists.

There was also a timetable for hands-on programs or special lectures that included a perfume-making class or a photography class using smartphones. Public figures like singer Zior Park, the YouTube channel Nerdult crew and dancer Monica from Mnet’s “Street Woman Fighter” (2021) were invited to share their own personal experiences about their respective fields.

Dancer Monica, best known for her appearance in Mnet's ″Street Woman Fighter,″ gives a lecture at KT's Y Campus pop-up store last week. [SHIN MIN-HEE]

The Korea JoongAng Daily visited last Wednesday just in time for Monica’s slot. In a room decorated like a main library in a university, some 50 young adults sat down to listen to her inspirational journey of how she began her career a decade ago to become the professional dancer she is today.

Her “students” had lots of questions as well.

One female listener was caught between staying in the company she was currently working for, or quitting to follow a different dream. Monica said that she had a similar experience as she also started dancing later than her peers, in her late 20s.

“I was 25 years old, and I didn’t know if getting a job at a regular company was what I should do,” Monica said. “But I decided to give myself another chance — to really try what I have passion for, which is dancing. Before pressing that button in your mind that says you’re ready to give up, try believing in yourself and go for what your heart wants.”

The crew of YouTube channel Nerdult gives a lecture at KT's Y Campus pop-up store last week. [KT]

Y Campus is KT’s first attempt at a pop-up store with the Y branding. It said that it hopes to continue campus-related programs in the future with the goal that will be helpful to its young customers.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]