From February 22 to 28, ‘My Town Small Business Festival’ had been held to celebrate February 26, the first Small Business Day in Korea. In this period, about twenty thousand small traders in Korea carried out various kinds of events, such as discount event or supplying free dessert.

The Small Business Day was established to improve small traders’ socio-economic status and expand a relationship between small traders’ and local residents. To achieve this aim, the nation’s largest portal, Naver, came forward with public relations. In a bid to promote this, the parties concerned made attracting banner ads and a website that helps people find their local store.

“There was no one who came here after they saw the PR or asks about why I didn’t attach the three balloons,” said the manager of Café Awesome. “And the website they made for my store’s promotion ruined my café’s image!”

Even though surrounding people dissuaded the manager of Café Awesome from applying for the Small Business Day, he did because the support for small traders such as making a websitewas too attractive to ignore. However, the website made in that period had almost same designs and articles which was made for self promotion was too scanty. “What can I do with only 3 balloons and 1 sticker?” he said. “I’m never going to apply this festival again.”

We can see the promotion of Naver for the Small Business Festival wasn’t affective by this interview. Bulam middle school student Seung Hwan Lee said that he didn’t know Naver is on a promotion of the Small Business Festival even though he uses Naver frequently, and later he said that the banner was too small and didn’t attract his eyes. And Youngshin Girl’s high school student Sai-Ha Yoon said that she knew February 26 was the Small Business Day because she saw it by Naver, but she didn’t know that festival was held for a week.

The purpose of the Small Business day was magnificent and attracted nation’s almost twenty thousand small traders. However, it doesn’t seem that the result which accords with the aim didn’t come out. The promoters were too neglectful to say that they were first in this festival. The manager of Café Awesome said “I can’t imagine how much money the sponsors put for the promotion banner on the first page of Naver.” The promotors must not blame the small budgets and find some additional ways to success this festival.

이정하
Grade 2
서울외국어고등학교(Seoul Foreign Language High School)