Mi-yeong

The Weeknight Ritualist
The ritual runs itself

Goal

Be the zero-thought ritual that reliably ends the week well.

Motivations

Continuity + family consensus. A 30-year habit loop — she replenishes, she doesn’t shop. Brand news lands as identity, not intent.

Frustrations

Notices every price rise vs 30 years of memory. Teens lobby for Buldak. Sodium guilt nags.

Media mix

KakaoTalk90
E-mart in-store85
Naver70
Coupang55
TikTok / IG10
M1

Touchpoint Journey

Channels (rows) × stages (columns) · 13 touchpoints in sequence · ✳ = moment of truth
PANTRY / HOMEKAKAOTALKCOUPANG / NAVERE-MART STOREHOME STOVEFAMILY TABLEWORD-OF-MOUTHAWARENESSINSTANTNotice the pantry’srunning lowCONSIDERATION5 SECPick the cheapestchannel — not brandPURCHASESAME DAYGrab the 20-pack,clock the priceRETENTION10 MINClose the weekthe usual wayADVOCACYONGOINGQuietly keepthe habitGOAL ▸TIME ▸12345678910111213
TouchpointMoment of truthFriction / risk point
Number colour = funnel stage ▸AwarenessConsiderationPurchaseRetentionAdvocacy
1Empty pantry shelf — Purely internal cue — nothing for the brand to reach
2Sunday post-hagwon routine — Comfort trigger, but brand-agnostic
3E-mart flyer (KakaoTalk) — Skims for price only
4Coupang price glance — Her only ‘consideration’ — and it’s price, not brand
5E-mart aisle 7 endcap — The wall of red = reassurance
6Multipack deal tag — Value tag confirms the buy
7−15% Buldak tag nearby — Competitor promo right beside her pick
8Self-checkout — Notices the total; done
9Home stove / pot — The ritual delivers exactly as expected
10Egg + scallion ritual — Small joy of the upgrade
11Family dinner table — Shared, warm — the payoff
12Family word-of-mouth — Passive; never explicit
13Passing the habit to her kids — The only advocacy that matters — and it’s fragile

Zoe

The K-Wave Explorer
Discovery is social · taste is a dare

Goal

Be the cheapest authentic ticket into the culture she already streams nightly.

Motivations

Belonging + content-worthiness. ~95% of intent forms on TikTok; she validates in the comments before she ever buys.

Frustrations

A real heat barrier — the first bowl nearly beat her. Low brand literacy (can’t tell Shin from rivals). Premium variants feel like a splurge.

Media mix

TikTok95
Netflix K-drama80
Instagram75
Tesco60
Amazon UK35
M2

Touchpoint Journey

Channels (rows) × stages (columns) · 22 touchpoints in sequence · ✳ = moment of truth
K-DRAMA / NETFLIXTIKTOKINSTAGRAMYOUTUBE / REDDITGROUP CHAT / IRLTESCO / RETAILAMAZON / ECOMFLAT KITCHENAWARENESS~1 WEEKFind the trendeveryone’s onCONSIDERATION2–3 DAYSFigure out ifI can handle itPURCHASE1 DAYGrab the onefrom the FYPRETENTION1 NIGHTMake it an event,survive the heatADVOCACYSAME NIGHT +Post thereactionGOAL ▸TIME ▸12345678910111213141516171819202122
TouchpointMoment of truthFriction / risk point
Number colour = funnel stage ▸AwarenessConsiderationPurchaseRetentionAdvocacy
1K-drama product placement — Aspirational spark
2TikTok FYP hack videos — Repetition builds desire
3Friend’s repost / DM — Social proof from a peer
4Instagram Reel — Adds to the drumbeat
5Flatmate cooking it — IRL trigger — she smells it
6#shinramyun TikTok tag — Core research — the deciding moment
7Comment-section Q&A — Where the heat fear forms
8YouTube Shorts hacks — Learns the cheese/egg fix
9r/ramen beginner threads — Some jargon overwhelms
10Reddit ‘is it too spicy’ search — Hunts for the heat verdict
11Group-chat screenshots — Peer validation seals intent
12Tesco world-foods aisle — Finds the red packet by look, not brand
13Shelf-edge price label — £0.99 removes the risk
14Amazon UK (if OOS) — Out-of-stock forces a detour
15Shared flat kitchen — The make-or-break cook
16Cheese slice + egg hack — The hack that saves it
17Milk on standby — Heat overwhelms — near abandonment
18Flatmate reaction — Shared laughter reframes the pain
19TikTok reaction post — Her UMOT = the next person’s ZMOT
20Instagram Stories — Amplifies reach
21Tags friends to try it — Direct referral
22Duets / stitches — Others build on it, then it fades

Marcus

The Dorm-Room Optimizer
The spreadsheet decides

Goal

Win the cost-per-satisfying-meal equation, every single time.

Motivations

Value, proven. He researches once, builds the spreadsheet, then automates re-buying with zero further thought.

Frustrations

Cash-flow weeks, no kitchen, and nutrition guilt spiking by finals. A cheaper rival would flip him.

Media mix

Reddit85
YouTube80
Costco70
H-E-B45
Amazon30
M3

Touchpoint Journey

Channels (rows) × stages (columns) · 16 touchpoints in sequence · ✳ = moment of truth
DORM / KETTLEBUDGET APPREDDITYOUTUBESPREADSHEETCOSTCO / H-E-BAMAZON / ECOMGROUP CHAT / IRLAWARENESS11 PMFind a hot meal,broke and hungryCONSIDERATION2 EVENINGSProve the cheapestsatisfying optionPURCHASE1 RUNLock in thebulk boxRETENTIONNIGHTLYFuel thesemesterADVOCACYONGOINGShare themathGOAL ▸TIME ▸12345678910111213141516
TouchpointMoment of truthFriction / risk point
Number colour = funnel stage ▸AwarenessConsiderationPurchaseRetentionAdvocacy
1Dining-hall closing time — Hunger + no options = stress
2Budgeting app red zone — Money anxiety triggers the whole search
3r/ramen S-tier lists — Authority source — decides it
4YouTube blind taste-tests — Reinforces Shin’s value crown
5r/college value threads — Peer budget consensus
6His own Google Sheet — Builds the proof — the spreadsheet
7Costco unit-price page — Confirms $1.40 per meal
8Costco 18-pack pallet — Value locked in
9Family Costco run — Depends on parents’ trip
10Amazon Subscribe & Save — Automates the re-buy
11Hot pot at the desk — Fast fuel, works every time
12Egg + cheese upgrade — Makes it ‘dinner’
13Late-night study fuel — Nutrition guilt spikes by finals
14r/college rec post — His verdict becomes others’ ZMOT
15Shares the spreadsheet — Proof-driven referral
16Hallway word-of-mouth — Evangelises IRL — but conditional

Grace

The Family Upgrader
Tradition, upgraded

Goal

Turn an indulgence into a defensible family tradition.

Motivations

Heritage + quality signalling — to herself most of all. Premium Black is the permission slip.

Frustrations

Sodium scrutiny at the label, a 20-minute weeknight window, and the kids’ heat limit.

Media mix

H-Mart80
Instagram70
KakaoTalk60
YouTube55
Instacart50
M4

Touchpoint Journey

Channels (rows) × stages (columns) · 18 touchpoints in sequence · ✳ = moment of truth
MEMORY / FAMILYINSTAGRAMYOUTUBEKAKAOTALKSHIN BLACK LABELH-MART STOREINSTACARTHOME KITCHENAWARENESSA MEMORYPass on mum’safter-school tasteCONSIDERATIONONGOINGMake premiumfeel defensiblePURCHASEWEEKLY RUNChoose theBlack tierRETENTIONRAMYUN NIGHTCook it fresh,two waysADVOCACYAFTERShare thetraditionGOAL ▸TIME ▸123456789101112131415161718
TouchpointMoment of truthFriction / risk point
Number colour = funnel stage ▸AwarenessConsiderationPurchaseRetentionAdvocacy
1Childhood food memory — Deep emotional trigger
2Mother’s Kakao recipe notes — Heritage reinforcement
3Kids asking for ‘noodle night’ — Demand from the kids
4YouTube ‘elevated ramyun’ — Turns indulgence into ‘proper cooking’
5Instagram creator reels — Aspirational prep ideas
6Shin Black nutrition panel — Sodium check — near deal-breaker
7KakaoTalk mom-group recs — Trusted peer endorsement
8H-Mart ramyun wall — Reaches past the red for the Black
9Black-vs-red compare — Price-gap hesitation
10Fresh-produce aisle — Extra effort, bigger basket
11Instacart reorder — Convenient fallback
12Scheduled ramyun night — Ritual anchoring
13Fresh add-in prep — Effort inside the 20-min window
14Two-pot cook (adult/kid) — Doubles the effort; heat management
15Family table — The heritage payoff
16Instagram ‘ramyun night’ post — Shares the tradition
17KakaoTalk parent community — Peer recommendation
18IRL recs to other moms — Warm word-of-mouth

Dev

The Heat-Seeking Foodie
Shin is the control group

Goal

Supply the reference standard every new noodle must beat.

Motivations

Connoisseurship + community standing. He researches obsessively, then publishes the ranked review everyone reads.

Frustrations

Canadian availability lags Korea, 2× import markups, and gimmick fatigue from collab reskins.

Media mix

Reddit90
YouTube75
Asian grocers70
Amazon.ca45
Instagram40
M5

Touchpoint Journey

Channels (rows) × stages (columns) · 20 touchpoints in sequence · ✳ = moment of truth
REDDIT (r/ramen)YOUTUBEINSTA / DISCORDSCORING LOGASIAN GROCERSAMAZON.CA / RESELLERHOME KITCHENGROUP CHATAWARENESSA DROPCatch the newvariant dropCONSIDERATIONOBSESSIVEBenchmark itagainst ShinPURCHASEWEEKS–MONTHSGet it first,pay the premiumRETENTIONA TASTINGScore itproperlyADVOCACYPUBLISHEDPublish theranked verdictGOAL ▸TIME ▸1234567891011121314151617181920
TouchpointMoment of truthFriction / risk point
Number colour = funnel stage ▸AwarenessConsiderationPurchaseRetentionAdvocacy
1r/ramen ‘new release’ posts — First signal of a drop
2Korean YouTube reviews — Early intel on the variant
3Import-store new arrivals — Checks availability
4Samyang-vs-Nongshim banter — Fuels the rivalry
5r/InstantRamen archive — His + others’ benchmark data
6YouTube side-by-side tests — Verifies the claims
7Discord ramen server — Debates; distrusts spice claims
8His own 40+ scoring log — The control-group reference
9Nongshim-vs-Samyang spec compare — Benchmarks specs side by side
10Scoville / ingredient dives — Distrusts marketing spice claims
11Asian grocer hunt — Often unavailable
12Amazon.ca import listing — 2× import markup stings
13Store-clerk ‘when’s it in?’ — Uncertain restock answers
14Two-bowl blind tasting — The evaluation ritual
15Scoring rubric / notes — Structured verdict
16Partner’s second opinion — Tolerance limits testing
17r/InstantRamen ranked review — His UMOT = the market’s ZMOT
18YouTube / TikTok clip — Extends reach
19Group-chat verdict — His circle gets the verdict first
20Updated public tier list — Will downgrade Shin if beaten