Budweiser is seeking to address the stigma around tattoos and its artists in South Korea with a new campaign.
Drawing tattoos without special permission from the government is currently illegal in the conservative country, forcing many tattoo artists to go underground and those with tattoos to cover up.
The campaign, called ‘Be a King’ and created by Virtue, is using film, a photography and art exhibition, a limited-edition Budweiser can, and a series of video profiles featuring 12 profiles of young Koreans with tattoos to shine a spotlight on this topic.
According to the brand, it hopes to shift mainstream attitudes by exploring the contribution these artists are making to Korean culture and identity.
"Like it or not, tattoos are still very much a taboo in Korea’s mainstream culture. We wanted to celebrate those despite the stigma and judgmental biases, that are not afraid to be different and choose to express themselves confidently,” said Tyler Joo, the marketing director of ABInBev Korea.
“The goal was to provide consumers with an opportunity to reflect and think about tattoo culture as a form of expression and art. In the end, it’s all about delivering the “Be A King” message – bold attitude of living on your own terms. We just chose to talk about it through a cultural tension that surely existed but, I guess no brand really felt too comfortable talking about.”
