[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] That day has come again this year without fail. The whole country is bustling with November 11th day marketing.

 

When most people think of November 11th, the first thing that comes to mind is Pepero Day, as well as Farmers' Day, Garaetteok Day, Chopsticks Day, Stick Day, Tithe Day, Singles' Day, Pedestrian Day, Physically Disabled Persons' Day, Real Estate Industry Day, Rail Day, Snow Day, Korean Song Day, Navy Foundation Day, UN Veterans Memorial Day, and Department Store Foundation Day. The Iri Station explosion, Option Shock, the end of World War I, Polish independence, and Angolan independence also occurred on this day.

 

Even China has designated this day as Singles' Day, the biggest retail season of the year, comparable to Black Friday in the United States, and is waging a large-scale retail war.

 

The reason why there are many commemorative days on November 11th is that it is a basic number, the first number, and it is composed of only the easiest numbers, making it very easy to remember. Another reason is that it is highly preferred because of the many meanings attached to the number 1. 

 

The industry that is most active in marketing on November 11th is the distribution industry. The days when November was considered the off-season for the distribution industry are long gone. As November is a month with the number '1', which means 'number 1' and 'number 1', the industries are engaging in fierce marketing battles.

 

The originator of November 11th Day Marketing is Lotte. It has been 40 years since 'Pepero Day' was created. Pepero, which was created in 1983, is a steady-selling snack representing Lotte Welfood. It has achieved accumulated sales of 2 trillion won by 2023. It has generated sales of 202 billion won in Korea (148 billion won) and overseas (54 billion won). In the first half of this year, overseas sales recorded 32.5 billion won, surpassing domestic sales (31.5 billion won) for the first time ever.

 

From 1983, when Pepero was first released, to 1995, before Pepero Day, sales were approximately 163 billion won. Sales after Pepero Day were approximately 7 times higher, proving once again that Pepero Day marketing was a success. Lotte really enjoyed the fun of Pepero Day marketing.

 

Pepero Day is said to have started in 1996 when middle school girls in the Yeongnam region exchanged Pepero sticks on November 11 and encouraged each other to "become slim." Since then, November 11 has become Pepero Day. During the fall and winter season (September to November) when this anniversary is celebrated, Pepero sales skyrocket. 40% of annual sales are concentrated during this period.

 

Accordingly, Haitai Confectionery (CEO Shin Jung-hoon), a rival in the confectionery industry, named this day Stick Day and introduced eight types of Pocky gift sets filled with love, hope, and joy. Pocky's Stick Day slogan this year is 'When we are together.' It was chosen to express gratitude with Pocky to precious people who are close to us but who we usually cannot express our feelings to.

 

There is another company that cannot be missed on this day. It is 11th Street. SK Planet 11th Street will hold a large-scale 'Shopping Holiday 11th Day' promotion with even more discount benefits on November 11th.

 

A distribution industry insider said, “We will continue to pursue the consumer sentiment that has been revived by events such as the Korea Sale Festa, while utilizing ‘Golden Day’ (the day with the highest sales) marketing targeting the year-end gift season.”

 

Department stores, discount stores, and other large retailers have also jumped into the November marketing war, taking advantage of their founding anniversaries in November. The three biggest domestic distribution channels, Lotte, Shinsegae, and Hyundai, all have their founding anniversaries in November, so they are holding large-scale discount events.

 

The 11th is also a big anniversary for the Chinese distribution industry. To celebrate Singles’ Day, the Chinese version of Black Friday, Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba has started a large-scale discount event. Every year, Alibaba holds a huge discount event for 24 hours on Singles’ Day. Major Chinese e-commerce companies, including Alibaba’s rival JD.com, are also participating in the large-scale discount event on this day.

 

This day is also a meaningful anniversary for the government and cooperative organizations. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) designated this day as a statutory anniversary, 'Farmer's Day', in 1996. The number '11' is written in Chinese characters as '十一', and when these Chinese characters are written again, they become the character for 'soil' (土), meaning that November 11 is ultimately the same as '土月 土日'. 

 

As it is Farmers' Day, the government has been promoting rice consumption since 2006 and has been informing the public of this as 'Ga-rae-tteok Day'. The origin of this day being called Ga-rae-tteok Day is related to 'AhnLab', a security company founded by Ahn Cheol-soo. On November 11, 2003, AhnLab (Ahn Cheol-soo Research Institute) first held 'Ga-rae-tteok Day' as an in-house event. It was created from the idea that rather than eating commercial Pepero, we should help our farmers and think about our traditions while eating Ga-rae-tteok.

 

Also, considering that the number '11' is reminiscent of chopsticks, November 11 was designated as 'Chopsticks Day' to promote the common chopsticks culture of Korea, China, and Japan.

 

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport designated November 11th as 'Pedestrian Day' in 2010, as it resembles the shape of human legs. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Real Estate Economic Association Council designated this day as 'Real Estate Industry Day'.

 

Also, the Korea Association of the Physically Disabled designated it as 'Physically Disabled Persons' Day' in 2001. It contains the meaning that physically disabled persons should value themselves as the best (1), stand up strong like the number 1, and unite as one (1) with other physically disabled persons (1).

 

Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) designated this day as 'Rail Day'. 

 

The Korean Ophthalmological Society designated 'Eye Day' as a day to think about the importance of eyes, which we often forget about.

 

November 11th is also 'Bookstore Day'. It is a commemorative day established by the Korean Bookstore Association on November 11th, 2016 to promote the rights and pride of bookstores and bookstore owners nationwide and to revitalize local bookstores. The reason for designating November 11th is 'because it reminds us of books on bookshelves and people lining up to visit bookstores to read them.

 

This day is also the anniversary of the founding of the Navy. The first Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Son Won-il, held the founding ceremony of the Liberation Corps at 11:00 on November 11, 1945, at the Pyohunjeon Hall in Gwanhun-dong, Seoul, right after the liberation. The reason the founding date of the Liberation Corps is November 11 (十一) is because the character "scholar" (士) is repeated twice, emphasizing the spirit of the Navy's gentlemanly spirit. To commemorate this, this day was designated as the Founding Day of the Navy.

 

It is also Veterans Day, a day of silence to pay tribute to the UN veterans who died in the Korean War. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs will hold a memorial campaign called 'Turn Toward Busan' on November 11th at 11:00 (Korean time) to pay tribute for one minute toward the UN Memorial Park in Busan. 

 

Not only Busan citizens but also people around the world pay their respects to the noble sacrifices made to protect peace by facing Busan where the UN Memorial Cemetery is located. This event began in 2007 when Vincent Courtenay, a Canadian veteran of the Korean War, suggested that everyone pay their respects at the same time on November 11th at 11:00 AM Korean time at the Busan UN Memorial Cemetery, the only UN cemetery in the world, and pay their respects. 

 

It is also designated as 'Our Song Day'. It was established to honor songs that add melody to poems containing the unique emotions of the nation. It originated from the designation of 'The 1st Our Song Day' on November 11, 2015, the year of the 60th anniversary of liberation.

 

A distribution industry insider said, “November in particular is a ‘barley hill for distribution channels’ because there are no special anniversaries or public holidays, so there are few factors that induce customers to visit stores and make purchases.” He added, “This is a desperate measure that came out in a situation where we had to somehow come up with a justification and basis to meet our goals as we approach the end of our annual performance.”

 

Another industry insider said, “November is a month with Pepero Day, College Scholastic Ability Test Marketing, Black Friday, etc., so there is fierce competition among industries to secure customers,” adding, “As the number of people who purchase products overseas has also increased significantly, special promotions and discount events are being held earlier and earlier to secure their wallets first.”

 

Historically, there were also major events on this day.

 

In South Korea, an explosion occurred at Iri Station (currently Iksan Station) in Jeollabuk-do on November 11, 1977. A train carrying gunpowder exploded, killing 59 people and injuring 1,343, resulting in a major accident.

 

Also, on November 11, 2003, a large amount of program selling poured in ahead of the options expiration date in the South Korean stock market, causing stock prices to plummet, which is called the 'November 11 Options Shock'.

 

There were also major events around the world. It was Armistice Day. At 11:00 AM on November 11, 1918, World War I ended. To commemorate this, many European countries, including the UK and France, designated this day as 'Armistice Day.' In the UK in particular, it is called 'Remembrance Day,' and ceremonies are held to commemorate fallen soldiers.

 

This day is Polish Independence Day (November 11, 1918). It is designated as Independence Day to commemorate the recovery of independence after 123 years of partition and rule following the end of World War I, and various celebratory events are held.

 

Angola declared independence from Portugal on November 11, 1975. Independence Day is celebrated every year to commemorate this day, and is a day to honor the country's sovereignty and independence.

 

There are also many famous people born on this day. Leonardo DiCaprio (November 11, 1974), Demi Moore (November 11, 1962), and George Patton (November 11, 1885), an American soldier who served as a U.S. general during World War II, are all born on this day.