SAERO SOJU POP-UP STORE

To commemorate the first anniversary of the launch of their sugar-free soju, Saero, Lotte Chilsung Beverage opened the Saero 02-57 Cave pop-up store this September in downtown Seoul, Korea. OOB Company and DAEHAKNAEIL Corp. commissioned I.M STUDIO to create video elements that would immerse spectators in “the Saero Soju worldview,” depicted by magical environments, and luminescent particles.

Art Director In Jeong and team used Notch and Cinema 4D to create all scenes over the production course of a month, creating material for three unique rooms: the “Purifying Room,” the “Deep Cave Room,” and, ultimately, the “Tasting Room,” which included an interactive table equipped with two projectors and a depth camera.

From there, they generated all interactivity by linking Notch and TouchDesigner. Though they had used the HapQ Alpha codec in the past, the creative team encountered issues with stability on this project. So, for the first time, they used the NotchLC Alpha codec. As the team reported, “It’s very stable, and the 10-bit quality makes a big difference.”

Twenty thousand guests visited the store over the seventeen days it was open. Attendees particularly lauded the interactivity, which was also critically acclaimed, winning the Gold Prize for promotion at the Korea Advertising Festival. The team plan to open more pop-up stores in Korea even before the end of the year.

Additional press coverage:

Hankyung, Hankook Ilbo, BetaNews.