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MMCD · Assignment 02 · Customer Personas · Group 07 · 농심 신라면

Five people.
One red packet.

Evidence-based customer personas for Nongshim Shin Ramyun — the world's best-selling Korean ramyun. Five one-page profiles, one perception map, and a tracked source behind every claim. We split segments by purchase behaviour and decision style, not demographics alone.

Group 07 — Jiwoo · Minseo · Hannah · Leo 5 Personas 1 Perception Map
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₩20tr
Cumulative sales milestone reached 2025 — first Korean ramyun brand
Korea Herald · 2025
42.5B
Packets sold worldwide since launch, 1986
Korea Herald · 2025
~40%
Of cumulative sales from overseas — N. America, China, Japan lead
CNBC · Jan 2026
+24%
US / Canada sales growth after second US factory opened
FoodNavigator-Asia
Persona 01 · Habitual Core · Seoul KR

Mi-yeong

The Weeknight Ritualist
"Sunday night, after the kids' hagwon — it's Shin Ramyun with an egg. It has been for twenty years. Why would I look at the other shelves?" Composite · Naver Shopping verified reviews
Age & work47 · Office admin
LocationNowon-gu, Seoul
HouseholdMarried · 2 teens
Income₩58M / yr
Shops atE-mart · 5 min away
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Native standard
SituationThe week has drained everyone; it's Sunday evening and nobody wants a decision. MotivationClose the week with a ritual the whole family recognises. OutcomeHome feels stable, warm, and fed — without effort or expense.
The Job →Be the zero-thought ritual that reliably ends the week well.
Goals & Needs
  • Zero-decision weeknight meal the family accepts without debate
  • Consistent taste — the 1986 recipe, not variants
  • Multipack value with E-mart / Coupang price parity
Constraints
  • Notices price rises instantly — 30 years of reference prices
  • Sodium guilt imposes occasional restraint
  • Teens lobbying for Buldak erode pantry share
Behaviours & Motivations
Why she matters to the strategyHer journey has no consideration stage — the brand must defend the ritual (price stability, recipe constancy) rather than court her with novelty.
Channels & Devices
KakaoTalk90
E-mart in store85
Naver portal70
Coupang app55
TikTok / IG10
90+ core80s heavy70s regular50s light<40 rare
Decision Drivers
Price-ledQuality-led
HabitNovelty
RationalEmotional
6×
Packs / month
20
Pack size bought
30y
Brand relationship
Mood Board · Her World
Sunday 8pm · the pot everyone recognises
Nowon-gu at dusk · kitchen lights coming on
辛辛辛辛辛辛辛辛辛 -15% E-mart aisle 7 · the wall of red, multipack deal tag
EVIDENCE — Korea Herald 2025 (₩20tr, 42.5B units since 1986) · Naver Shopping verified reviews: "always / as expected / restocked" dominate · Asia Business Daily 2026: Buldak pressure inside households.
Persona 02 · K-Wave Entrant · Manchester UK

Zoe

The K-Wave Explorer
"I saw it in a drama, then my FYP was all ramen hacks for a week. First one nearly killed me. Obviously I posted it." Composite · UK TikTok comments, #shinramyun
Age & study21 · Sociology BA
LocationManchester, UK
HouseholdFlatshare · 3 students
IncomePart-time + loan
Shops atTesco world aisle
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Building it — milk on standby
SituationShe streams Korean culture nightly but consumes it through a screen. MotivationParticipate, not just spectate — affordably and shareably. OutcomeA post-worthy first-person experience that earns replies from her circle.
The Job →Be the cheapest authentic ticket into the culture she already loves.
Goals & Needs
  • An authentic K-culture experience she can share
  • Recipes and hacks — cheese slice, egg, rice-cake add-ins
  • Mainstream availability — Tesco, not specialist-only trips
Constraints
  • Real heat barrier — the original tests her limit
  • Student budget: premium variants feel like a splurge
  • Low brand literacy — can't yet tell Shin from rivals
Behaviours & Motivations
Why she matters to the strategyHer funnel starts on a For You page, not a shelf. Discovery, validation, and first cook are three separate moments — each needs its own content.
Channels & Devices
TikTok95
Netflix K-drama80
Instagram75
Tesco in store60
Amazon UK35
90+ core80s heavy70s regular50s light<40 rare
Decision Drivers
Price-ledQuality-led
HabitNovelty
RationalEmotional
2×
Packs / month
4
Months since first try
3
Posts featuring the packet
Mood Board · Her World
+1 Filming the first-try reaction · ring light on
REC Episode 7 · the ramyeon scene that started it
MILK The cheese-slice hack · milk within reach
EVIDENCE — CNBC Jan 2026: overseas appetite drives growth; UK a named key market · #shinramyun / ramen-hack TikTok volumes show discovery-led entry · Nikkei Trendy 2025: Toomba's youth hit proves the variant pathway.
Persona 03 · Value Maximiser · Austin TX

Marcus

The Dorm-Room Optimizer
"It's like $1.40 a meal if you get the Costco box. Egg makes it dinner. The dining hall closes at 8; Shin Ramyun doesn't." Composite · r/ramen and r/college threads
Age & study19 · CS major
LocationAustin TX · dorm
HouseholdRoommate · shared kettle
IncomeMeal plan + $120/wk
Shops atCostco (family runs)
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️High — heat is part of the value
Situation11pm, dining hall closed, problem set due, $23 until Friday. MotivationHot, filling, and provably the cheapest satisfying option. OutcomeBack at the desk in ten minutes, fed, budget intact.
The Job →Win the cost-per-satisfying-meal equation, every single time.
Goals & Needs
  • Lowest cost-per-meal, calculated to the cent
  • Bulk formats that fit under a dorm bed
  • Kettle-to-bowl inside ten minutes
Constraints
  • No kitchen — hot pot and microwave only
  • Cash-flow weeks: unit price rules everything
  • Nutrition guilt compounds by finals week
Behaviours & Motivations
Why he matters to the strategyHe converted years ago at a Costco shelf via his parents. The question is retention: what price delta makes him re-run the spreadsheet?
Channels & Devices
Reddit85
YouTube80
Costco (family)70
H-E-B walk-in45
Amazon30
90+ core80s heavy70s regular50s light<40 rare
Decision Drivers
Price-ledQuality-led
HabitNovelty
RationalEmotional
12×
Packs / month
$1.40
Cost per meal, computed
18
Costco box size
Mood Board · His World
23:47 · PS4 DUE 09:00 Problem set due · kettle already on
18 PACK SHIN RAMYUN STASH BOX The 18-pack, wedged under the bed frame
$1.40 SHIN18ct+EGGWIN ✓ BULDAK10ct$1.92+EGGLOSE ✗ The spreadsheet is real — cost per satisfying meal
EVIDENCE — FoodNavigator-Asia: +24% US/Canada after second US factory → bulk retail drives growth · r/ramen tier lists rank Shin the value benchmark · Costco Shin multipacks recur across college-budget subreddits.
Persona 04 · Premium Upgrader · Los Angeles CA

Grace

The Family Upgrader
"My mom made me the original after school. I make my kids the Black with extra vegetables. Same smell in the kitchen — that's the point." Composite · H-Mart / Instacart reviews, Black line
Age & work38 · Marketing mgr
LocationKoreatown-adj., LA
HouseholdPartner + kids 6 & 9
Income$142K household
Shops atH-Mart · weekly run
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Full for her · halved for kids
SituationWeeknight, 20-minute dinner window, two kids, one food memory to pass on. MotivationShare her mother's after-school taste — without the processed-food guilt. OutcomeA legitimate family dinner that smells like her childhood kitchen.
The Job →Turn an indulgence into a defensible family tradition.
Goals & Needs
  • Premium tier (Black) that justifies feeding it to children
  • Heritage continuity — the taste her mother made
  • Add-in versatility: bok choy, mushrooms, rice cakes, egg
Constraints
  • Sodium scrutiny from her own label reading
  • 20-minute weeknight cooking ceiling
  • Kids' heat limit caps ramyun-night frequency
Behaviours & Motivations
Why she matters to the strategyHer trigger is generational, not promotional. Guilt enters at three moments — label, checkout, serving — and that's exactly where Black earns its premium.
Channels & Devices
H-Mart in store80
Instagram70
KakaoTalk (family)60
YouTube recipes55
Instacart50
90+ core80s heavy70s regular50s light<40 rare
Decision Drivers
Price-ledQuality-led
HabitNovelty
RationalEmotional
4×
Family ramyun nights / mo
Black
Default variant
5+
Fresh add-ins per pot
Mood Board · Her World
BLACK 辛 BEEF BONE PREMIUM Shin Black · the black-and-gold permission slip
Bok choy · mushrooms · rice cakes · egg, prepped first
HERS · FULL HEAT KIDS' · HALVED + MILK Two bowls, one table — the tradition transfers
EVIDENCE — Korea Herald: North America = largest overseas region · Nongshim's Black line + US factory expansion (FoodNavigator-Asia) target exactly this trade-up · H-Mart/Instacart Black reviews skew family-meal, broth-quality language.
Persona 05 · Heat Enthusiast · Toronto CA

Dev

The Heat-Seeking Foodie
"Shin is the control group. Every new spicy noodle gets measured against it. Toomba surprised me — creamy but it still bites." Composite · r/InstantRamen review threads
Age & work29 · Product designer
LocationToronto, CA
HouseholdLives with partner
Income$88K
Shops atAsian grocers · Amazon.ca
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Maxed — The Red is a Tuesday
SituationA new variant drops in Korea; Toronto shelves will get it eventually. MotivationBe first in his circle with a credible, structured verdict. OutcomeA ranked review that holds up — heat, body, chew, value.
The Job →Supply the reference standard every new noodle must beat.
Goals & Needs
  • New variants, limited editions, import exclusives
  • Credible heat — no marketing spice, Scoville honesty
  • Detail worth reviewing: broth body, noodle chew, packet design
Constraints
  • Canadian availability lags Korea by months
  • Novelty fatigue — gimmick collabs erode trust
  • Partner's tolerance caps two-bowl test dinners
Behaviours & Motivations
Why he matters to the strategyHe is a media channel, not just a buyer — his review IS other personas' consideration stage. Losing him costs reach, not one basket.
Channels & Devices
Reddit90
YouTube reviews75
Asian grocers70
Amazon.ca45
Instagram40
90+ core80s heavy70s regular50s light<40 rare
Decision Drivers
Price-ledQuality-led
HabitNovelty
RationalEmotional
8×
Packs / mo (mixed brands)
40+
Varieties reviewed
2×
Premium he'll pay for drops
Mood Board · His World
Macro study · chili-oil bloom on the broth surface
12345 SHINBLACKREDTOOMBABULDAK #1 The shelf, ranked — the control group up front
SCORECARD 041 HEATBODYVALUE 9.1 / 10 Every bowl gets scored · heat, body, chew, value
EVIDENCE — Asia Business Daily Jan 2026: Shin-vs-Buldak "battlefield" mirrors enthusiast discourse · Nikkei Trendy 2025: Toomba a Best-30 hit in Japan · r/InstantRamen benchmark threads default to Shin as the control.
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Customer Perception Map

We chose the two axes that actually separate our five: how price-sensitive the decision is, and whether the purchase is driven by function (fuel, value, routine) or emotion (identity, experience, connoisseurship).

LOW PRICE SENSITIVITY → ← HIGH PRICE SENSITIVITY EMOTIONAL / EXPERIENTIAL ↑ ↓ FUNCTIONAL / ROUTINE EXPERIENCE ON A BUDGET PREMIUM MEANING PURE VALUE COMFORTABLE ROUTINE 1 Mi-yeong · Ritualist 2 Zoe · K-Wave Explorer 3 Marcus · Optimizer 4 Grace · Family Upgrader 5 Dev · Heat Seeker
Why they differ — at a glance
PersonaBuysFreqChannelDriver
01 Mi-yeongOriginal 20-pack6×/moE-martHabit & family consensus
02 ZoeOriginal singles2×/moTikTok → TescoBelonging & shareability
03 MarcusOriginal 18-pack12×/moCostcoCost-per-meal math
04 GraceShin Black4×/moH-MartHeritage + quality permission
05 DevEvery variant8×/moReddit → grocersNovelty & connoisseur status
What loses each of them
01Price hikes, recipe changes
02Out-of-stock, heat shock on first try
03A cheaper equal alternative
04Health-scrutiny headlines
05Gimmick collabs, stale lineup

Distinctness check: no two personas share a quadrant position, a primary channel, or a loss trigger — so each one demands a different content strategy.

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Our Method & Sources

We anchored every persona to at least one tracked data point and one qualitative source. Demographics are linked to behaviour, never decoration. Quotes are labelled composites built from real review and comment language on each platform — flagged rather than passed off as verbatim interviews. Mood boards are original illustrations of each persona's context of use. The "why they matter" line on each page connects this assignment forward to our customer journey maps in Assignment 3.

Quantitative

KOREA HERALD (2025) — ₩20tr cumulative sales · 42.5B units since 1986
CNBC (JAN 2026) — Overseas growth strategy · seven key markets
FOODNAVIGATOR-ASIA — US/Canada +24% after second US factory
ASIA BUSINESS DAILY (JAN 2026) — Shin vs Buldak competitive framing
NIKKEI TRENDY / FNNEWS (2025) — Toomba, Japan Hit Products Best 30

Qualitative

NAVER SHOPPING — verified-purchaser review language, KR
REDDIT — r/ramen · r/InstantRamen · r/college tier & budget threads
TIKTOK — #shinramyun comment threads, UK/US
H-MART / INSTACART — Shin Black review corpus, US
YOUTUBE — blind-tasting and mukbang review formats

MMCD · ASSIGNMENT 02 · CUSTOMER PERSONAS · GROUP 07 — JIWOO KIM · MINSEO PARK · HANNAH OKAFOR · LEO BRANDT