Compose Coffee has named a Samsung Electronics marketing veteran as its new CEO to sharpen its edge in South Korea’s crowded coffee market. The appointment, effective July 18, 2025, brings a leader with over a decade of experience steering Samsung’s global campaigns and Cheil Worldwide’s creative strategies. The move aligns with Samsung’s recent leadership reshuffle that prioritized integrated device ecosystems under Roh Tae-moon, who now steers both mobile and home appliance divisions. His background includes managing high-stakes marketing for one of the world’s top consumer electronics brands, now redirected toward caffeine wars in a nation averaging three coffee shops per square kilometer. The coffee culture in South Korea is characterized by rapid innovation and digital integration, paving the way for unique brand engagements.
South Korea’s coffee industry thrives on fast innovation and digital integration, with chains like Mega Coffee, Ediya, and Starbucks battling for dominance. Compose Coffee, operating hundreds of stores nationally, previously focused on rapid store expansion and operational efficiency. The CEO shift signals a pivot toward brand storytelling and community-driven marketing—strategies Samsung honed through campaigns leveraging 15,000 local creators and user-generated content. At Samsung, such tactics achieved a reported 3:1 return on influencer investments.
Compose Coffee pivots from store expansion to Samsung-honed brand storytelling, leveraging 15,000 local creators and user-generated content in Korea’s cutthroat coffee arena.
The new leader’s playbook may include data-driven customer targeting, micro-influencer collaborations, and interactive campaigns mirroring Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked events. Compose Coffee could emphasize emotional branding over transactional deals, a departure from its discount-heavy rivals. Analysts suggest this mirrors broader trends where coffee brands compete on cultural connection as much as price or convenience. The move comes as global chains like *Scooter’s Coffee* explore strategic expansion maneuvers, with the Nebraska-based company reportedly considering a US $1 billion sale to fund nationwide growth. Competitors are expected to monitor Compose’s moves closely, particularly in digital engagement and store experience upgrades. The CEO’s history of balancing mass appeal with niche targeting—apparent in Samsung’s shift from celebrity endorsements to grassroots storytelling—might help Compose differentiate itself. Challenges remain: convincing value-focused Korean consumers to prioritize brand loyalty in a market flooded with cheap, rapid-service options.
Observers will watch for early signs of strategy shifts, such as partnerships with local artists or coffee-centric social media challenges. Success could pressure rivals to adopt similar tactics, reshaping marketing norms in a sector where iced Americanos fuel both workers and a $10 billion industry. The appointment underscores a reality in modern retail: even coffee chains now recruit leaders from tech giants to brew winning formulas.
