Buldak XL: B2B Pitch & Narrative Strategy
B2B Pitch & Narrative Strategy
Samyang needed to enter the EU wholesale market. There was no footage. No lifestyle material. No narrative. Just charts, data, and product specs sitting on a page with no soul connecting them.
The film needed to do three things simultaneously: reveal the product with impact, make the lifestyle feel real and aspirational without losing the Buldak identity, and position Samyang as a partner to the buyer, not a vendor pitching at them. That required building scenes from nothing.
Act one, market momentum: the film opens on the success Samyang already has in Europe and the small cups that built it, then names a new need the data shows.
Act two, the blind spot: a white space in the market matrix, the XL cups as the answer, and Peppo introduced as a spark from inside the cup.
Act three, symphony of cravings: extreme macro food shots prove the no-drain, microwave-ready preparation across the three flavors.
Act four, craving madness: absurd real-life moments where people give up their composure for the noodles, then the value math: a fair price per gram.
Act five, shelf synergy: the XL cups stand beside the small ones on a premium shelf, nothing replaced, and the film ends with an invitation to partner.
Every visual in the film was created from scratch using AI-generated cinematics and motion design.
In ideation the idea went toward a galaxy of flavors rising from every noodle cup. The AI pushed it toward abstraction. In execution the images came out like bloody brains, almost zombie-like, far from the brand's identity: crazy fun. The idea was wrong, so it was dropped, not patched.
The galaxy gave way to a new idea: a five-act, two-minute film for European buyers, built on market data, a new face called Peppo and the XL format. The fun came back, now with a business argument.
The film became Samyang's primary pitch asset for EU wholesale expansion. Stefano Tiozzo, who led the project, called it "exactly what this launch needed."
“What stood out most when collaborating with Mani was his ability to transform complex business and market information into a clear and engaging narrative.”
Stefano TiozzoProduct and Trade Marketing Manager, Buldak B2B launch video17 Jun 2026Recommendation on LinkedIn“He didn't just edit footage. He built the entire narrative architecture from scratch, translating complex B2B data into a commercial that moved people.”
Hanna SungInternational Marketing Manager, Buldak new product launch11 Jun 2026Recommendation on LinkedIn