Insight
The Power of Association: How Knorr Used Squid Game to Win Attention
Brands selling to the masses need something — or someone — that people already know to help launch new products.
Take India, for example. When a brand wants to reach everyone, they get a celebrity like Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan because they’re already household names with mass-market appeal.
Knorr’s Clever Move
Knorr Korean Ramen is a great example of how to do this differently. On their packaging, they put Squid Game characters — a show that was everywhere, watched or recognized by almost everyone in India.
When Knorr did this, they were essentially saying, “You watched that show. We’re from the same origin. You liked that — you’ll probably like this too.”
It’s a smart, subtle way to borrow familiarity and emotion from a cultural phenomenon and transfer it to their product.
Why It Works
Even though Squid Game has nothing to do with ramen apart from the Korean connection, the association works powerfully on two levels:
New Customers: People who never cared about ramen before are now more open to trying Knorr because of Squid Game. They trust the reference and feel a sense of connection.
Existing Customers: Those who already buy ramen notice something fresh and exciting in Knorr’s version — the Squid Game link makes it stand out.
And Knorr already had strong brand equity compared to newer ramen brands, so this move strengthened its advantage even more.
The Power of Association
What you associate your brand with shapes how people see it. It doesn’t just apply to mass brands — even niche or premium brands can use this principle.
The key is to choose associations that align with your audience and message — whether that’s a celebrity, influencer, cultural idea, design style, or tone of voice.
Find the right association, and your brand matters more. Find the wrong one, and it fades away.