• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.87-101
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• 2003

Recently, rice producers and related institutions have started to brand rice to increase sale. Despite such trend and the significance of rice branding to many parties including policy makers, no previous research has studied the relationship between consumers' psychological and socio-economic factors that underline consumer choice and judgment of branded rice. This paper discusses the variables related to branding through a survey based on 242 convenience consumer samples selected in Seoul metropolitan area in Korea, and presents the results and their implication for future research. The major findings are: 1) Consumers are reasonably well aware of rice-branding practices, and the main source of such information is in-store displays and packages, 2) It appears that consumers in general choose a rice brand based mainly on its taste and nutrition, and 3) the perceived difference among rice brands differs depending on some consumer characteristics. The perceived differences among rice brands in taste and in nutrition are relatively high for brand-loyal consumers and high-income consumers respectively. The perceived difference among rice brands in brand reputation is also relatively high for young, low-income, and brand-loyal consumers.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.109-117
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• 2014

Purpose - The study investigates the history, production methods, market scale, and distribution of the traditional liquors of three countries: South Korean sokokju, Chinese shaoxing-chiew, and Japanese sake. These have similar production methods, being made from rice or cereal, cores of their respective food industries. Research design, data, and methodology - The study investigated the history of the three liquors, liquor classification in the three countries, and production methods. It examined the scale of the traditional liquor market and these countries' distribution structure. Results - Brand cognition of traditional liquors is affected by a focus on wellbeing and LOHAS (lifestyle of health and sustainability). Promotion and marketing strategies along with a high quality image, shelf life of draft liquor, traditional liquor identification systems, and high taxes on traditional liquor, and the need for continuous R&D and training of professionals all impacted the industry. Conclusions - These countries play important roles in world trade, seeking economic integration. By forming a free trade agreement (FTA), their traditional liquors, with a proud history, can be jointly branded in the world market.