Samyang Roundsquare decided to express their gratitude through a reverse marketing event. (Image courtesy of Samyang Roundsquare)
SEOUL, May 16 (Korea Bizwire) – A young American girl’s emotional unboxing of a birthday gift containing Samyang Foods’ wildly popular Buldak Carbonara Ramen went viral last month, amassing over 100 million views across social media platforms like TikTok.
After momentarily losing her words upon revealing the pink packaging of the spicy South Korean instant noodles, the girl broke down in tears of joy – a reaction that even made its way into a New York Times report on the product’s shortage in the United States.
The star of the viral video is Adalynn Sofia, a resident of San Antonio, Texas. Touched by her passionate response, Samyang Roundsquare, the company behind the fiery noodle dish, decided to express their gratitude through a reverse marketing event, as announced on May 14.
For this special occasion, Samyang dispatched representatives to San Antonio, where they adorned a van in bright pink and prepared 150 boxes (over 1,000 individual packs) of the coveted noodles.
In collaboration with pre-arranged local families, they transformed Adalynn’s front and back yards into a surprise party venue, decorating the space with balloons, garlands, and other festive embellishments.
When Adalynn stepped outside and spotted the Buldak Carbonara Ramen van, she was momentarily stunned before bursting into joyful tears, embracing a large mascot costume resembling the noodles’ rooster logo and receiving her gifts.
She and her family then enjoyed a noodle party, donning Buldak Carbonara Ramen t-shirts together.
Adalynn shared a video documenting the heartwarming event on her TikTok account, expressing her gratitude: “Thank you, Buldak, for making my dream come true!”
Within just 22 hours, the clip had garnered over 14 million views and 2.7 million likes.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
