I heard that one of the major complaints of netizens about this kdrama is that it’s full of product placement. My answer is so what?
I counted the product placements in “Crash Landing on You” and nobody seemed to raise a stink that in the first 15 minutes alone of Episode 11, there were 7 different brands advertised.
link: CLOY: Product Placement
Viewers nowadays are savvy. They know when a product is being featured. Unlike most viewers who are irritated by these product placements because they see them as a distraction, I like product placements when they’re included in the script in an ingenious way. It tells me that a junior writer in Kim Eun Sook’s team was given a lucky break to introduce a product into the story and she/he did a good job.
Take for instance BBQ chicken place. Far from being annoyed with the product placement, I view it as a running gag. Like I didn’t know what half-and-half was. I thought it was coffee creamer. lol. And I didn’t know you can order the chicken guy to deliver to a picnic bench. Interesting.
But that lip blusher that can be used for the face was gross! Why would I use something for my cheeks that I applied on mouth? Should I just lick my whole face then for moisturizer? And sharing that lip blusher with Jangmi was gross, too. Wasn’t that an indirect kiss?
So, no. I’m not complaining about the product placement. Aside from providing a secondary source of income for the kdrama, these provide non-Korean viewers like me a glimpse into the idiosyncratic, consumerist habits of Koreans.
1. Aston Martin
Nari is one rich girl…or she owns a car dealership, lol. I think there’s a joke here for EunSub.
She owns the white and yellow sports cars (from Ep 2)
And a black SUV (from Ep 7),
She also owns the red and the blue sports cars (from Ep 12)
They’re luxury cars associated with “Bond, James Bond.”
2. The Alley Da
This is a real coffee shop
3. Samsung
4. Kia
Prime Minister Koo only has a Kia.
And I think TaeEul drives a Kia, too.
5. Georgia Coffee, craft black.
Thanks, Flyhoneystars.com.
I thought the throw-and-catch was good move, though.
6. The BBQ chicken place
Is this half-and-half? Anyway, it’s obvious Luna isn’t TaeEul. Why is she drinking water??!
7. J. Estina
When I saw this pink box, my first reaction was “Ehhhh??? What’s this?” I was expecting Tiffany blue box.
8. The swiss roll cake
Who can read the brand name? It’s in Chinese?? Or is this fake?
9. Beddings by Crown Goose
Thanks, Flyhoneystars.com!
This bed scene was funny, though.
LG: What about you? Are you hurting?
TE: No, I feel fine. (unbuttoning) Look, do I have a scar too?
LG: Oh, you startled me. (looking away)
TE: You can see this much in the summer.
Meaning, in the summer when she wears sleeveless shirts or a bathing suit, her shoulder is visible. So, there’s nothing scandalous here.
TE: (touching him) Look properly.
LG: (moving away) You’re unbelievable!
I don’t think he said, “You’re unbelievable.” He said, “Ah. Yeoja! Jinjja!” which is, “Ah! Woman! Really!”
I thought it was funny. To me, when a guy calls his girlfriend “Woman!” it may sound like a complaint but there’s actually a tinge of indulgence. It’s like a guy saying, “Ughhh! Woman! You’re driving me nuts! What shall I do with you?” when he knows very well he can’t live without her.
LG: (continuing) Aish. This hurts even more.
Meaning, not knowing whether she has a burn mark is more bothersome than trying to maintain decorum and proprieties. So he glanced at her shoulder.
LG: (looking away) You don’t have one.
Ugh! All that fuss over a naked shoulder. Why do kdramas do this?
Anyway, in Episode 12, I only spotted 9 product placements. I’ve seen worse so I don’t see why these netizens are clutching at their (Mikimoto) pearls.
lol. I’m putting in my own product placement since this is my blog.
Lol..this is so funny. I actually missed a few of those. How did you get to the bedding one? The brand wasn’t really shown, I think. Or maybe I was too distracted by whatever was happening on-screen to notice 😝 Wait..doesn’t that defeat the purpose of product placement? Moral of the story: Do not put a product promotion in a scene where fan ahjummas may be too distracted by LMH’s hotness instead 😜😜
I like that the show spoofs this too, in one of the earlier episodes where the entire police squad sits on the steps and drinks some brand of beer/soju/health drink and Jang Mi actually imitates an ad🤣🤣
I’m one of those fan ahjummas who got distracted. LOL! To be honest I’ve never minded product placement in any dramas. I mean who wouldn’t want to see an Aston Martin in different styles! heheheh
The bedding was a “sexy” royal blue, don’t you think? lol.
Lol..i didn’t even notice the bedding color till now🙈🙈🙈 I have my priorities right😜😜😜
By the way, @agdr03 and @packmule3, in ep.13, LG gifts Eunsup a good looking car. Wonder if that was an Aston Martin too (sorry my ability to identify car brands is rather limited) 🤔🤔 All I noticed was how uber sexy LMH looked putting on those dark shades (may his hotness endure forever)😝😝😝
#GoShallowIslandGo
I don’t know my fancy cars too @Phoenix but I think it was a Maserati? Someone correct me.
I’ll second that uber sexy LMH putting on those dark shades, hot! #GoShallowIslandGo
The Chinese reads 賞美堂 – temple/place for appreciation beauty?
But I think it sounds more Japanese than Chinese.
Thanks, Jennifer!
I guess the Koreans must hate “Cast Away”. Sorry FedEx Tom Hanks, they don’t like your buddy Wilson 😉.
I thought the PPL for the necklace was pretty smart, since they slyly weaved it into the fabric of the story (just like how they sneaked in references to the face balm during the convo when LG dines with TE father). Went to check out the necklace to take a closer look: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAoYF1bDZCt/
It’s actually a double plum blossom (a pink next to a diamanté one). I assumed this was a stylised version of the royal emblem of KOC, which is also 2 plum blossoms, one over the other. LG was reminding TE of his proposal, & if she wore the necklace it means she accepts his proposal, since she will be literally be a bearer of the symbol of royalty. 🙂
Hey hey, are you not going to talk about those super cool space age LED skin treatment masks?!! Eun-Sup being Iron Man was the best!!
No problem! It looks like it’s a legit brand in Korea, with a history linked to the Korean War.
Wiki: In 1945, Hur Chang-sung, start a small confectionery outfit named Sangmidang. Later on in 1959, the business started to take off and changed to name Samlip. A couple of years later, Samlip began to produce bread and biscuits. His business was aligned with the government policies. It helps to feed the public as the country struggled to rebuild itself after the Korean War. Soon enough, a cream-filled pastry became the first to hit the shelves in Korea. Samlip’s quality was high for sales in US military camps.
https://www.paris.co.kr/wp-content/uploads/%E1%84%83%E1%85%A5%E1%84%8F%E1%85%B5%E1%86%BC_%E1%84%87%E1%85%A2%E1%84%82%E1%85%A5.jpeg
LOL @pkml3 I feel that a PPL for me. Be open, get ideas and see where they go!
I’ve found people are just biased. Period. They gather in herds and just do what they feel is “in fashion” at that moment. Many of these brands are regularly featured as PPL in almost all popular kdramas. So, I don’t see the problem with this one in particular. Although, I must admit, their incessant coffee and chicken advertising (in all dramas, not just this one) is getting tiring.
She writes quite a detailed list of product placements shown in all the episodes.
https://www.flyhoneystars.com/2020/05/16/k-drama-product-placements-and-sponsors-in-the-king-eternal-monarch/
I have to say sometimes it gets cringe-y or overdone. I have seen BBQ Chicken and Red Ginseng in so many dramas…at least 3-4 dramas. Which also makes me feel I really should go try i when i can get to go Korea. I appreciate it when the PPL is done naturally. Either that or it will end up as some blurred out drink or food.
I guess LG isn’t new to Cell Return outside the show itself…in another parallel world he promotes it too……
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA4gHxCn9kz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
If the PPLs serve as secondary budget so they don’t scrimp on production & graphics, I’m all up for it 🙂
Besides, the chicken place & red sachet drink are almost everywhere. I see them in other dramas too. I’m just waiting for Subway to pop up & it’s all complete 🤗
@MsWhiteMoto haha I was also waiting for Subway to pop up too!
I think the PPL for TKEM is still conservative and as long as it doesn’t affect the storytelling and nicely weave in, why not? Though after seeing bbq chicken, i did feel like having some korean fried chicken 😛
Same here!!! I’ve been waiting for Subway! And Swarovski. 😂
They already did Coke in Ep 13, lol.
The PPLs are really interesting. Spotting them is like an “I Spy” game I play with the junior writer on KES team. 😂 That Kimchee brand? I’ll look for them in my Asian store.
😂 These PPLs are similar to the commercials they show during Super Bowl here in the US. Maybe at the end of the kdrama, I’ll give out a “Most Creative PPL” award. For me the coffee bottle segment where the two guys tossed it to each other was cool.
But then, LMH’s first BBQ scene (Ep 2 at 48:50) when a little bit of juice stretched between the drumstick and his mouth was mesmerizing, too.
I’m surprised that @phoenix and company didn’t comment on that. 😂😂
Same here! No wonder I’ve been craving for Bonchon! Rats! The PPLs are working…
I must admit that we bought an LG fridge because I was influenced by kdramas. We don’t have a single Korean brand appliance and the LG was the first. My friends asked me about it and I said I was happy with it.
My husband wanted the Samsung Smart Fridge (have you seen those?) and I put my foot down. I’m not tech-savvy and I don’t need my fridge intimidating and mocking me every time I take out yogurt.
Hahaha @packmule3 For pnce, I was mesmerized by the drumstick instead of LMH because I love yummy food and that that fried chicken looked delicious 😋😋😋 Did I not say I have plans to go all tje way to SK just to try out that half and half chicken?😜😜😜
On Swarovski, I remember in MOA they had put an extremely random segment of Jin Woo and Hee Joo on a date where HJ is sulkimg about how JW isn’t appreciating the Swarovski set she is wearing (which was incidentally gifted by JW himself). That was just purely random! I think the dramas make a lot of subsidiary money from PPL this way, but if it is not organically tied to the story flow, it is just disorienting.
@packmule3 I only use Samsung phones just out of loyalty to kdramas😜😜😜 Call me weird but that’s how it is🙈🙈🙈
Lol..fridge intimidating and mocking you..haha🤣🤣🤣🤣
Whut?!! You didn’t get an urge to rub your thumb across his lips to wipe off that honey stain from the chicken? Did the chicken director fail at his job?
🙂
According to wiki, half and half chicken is called “Ban-ban” chicken. lol. What a cute name.
“Banban (Korean: 반반; Hanja: 半半, “half-half”) – shortened from yangnyeom ban, huraideu ban (양념 반, 후라이드 반, “half yangnyeom, half huraideu”) is often used to refer to chicken that is served half seasoned and half plain.”
I get an urge to rub my thumb on LMH’s lips otherwise also 😉 Remember long back while we were forming Shallow Island before TKEM started, I had said his lips are very sexy!
“Ban-ban”..so cute! Thanks for sharing that name. Now I know what to look for when I go to SK! Half-seasoned and half-plain sounds delicious. They look super crunchy too 😛
It’s definitely the suave GentleMonster shades and PM Koo’s elegant Boucheron jewelries for me.
Thanks @packmule3 and @grace for the mention 😀
I agree that spotting PPL is somewhat like a game for me. Sometimes when random things appear in drama (that are not so in your face), I will stop and wonder if that was a PPL.
Can you believe it.. even all the furniture, tea set, kitchen is sponsored someway or another. I’m pretty sure they have a team managing all these items and figuring out a way of how to put it into the drama.
Even the construction (bricks) is sponsored!
I guess making dramas can be quite a profitable business in Korea =p
@all you guys are so hilarious 😂 btw @pm3 I’ve been eyeing the Samsung smart fridge! We made a mistake in purchase of refrigerator last time (which was also the first time). I and my husband presumed we’d live as two bachelors under one roof forever.
@flyhoneystars what!! Everything is PPL ?? You’ve a keen eye like @pm3 😅
Don’t know what the fuss is all about. So many people can beconsidered walking bilboards with designer and non designer labels on clothes, shoes,bags,etc. My family plays a game-count the Louies when we go out in our ot so rich neighborhood. All of our electronics have huge labels and youcan’t escape them. And men’s sports is full of them from soccer jerseys to Nascar cars to stadium walls to sneakers-and they don’t seem to be distracted. And in olden days, product commercials were builtinto tvprograms likecigarettes on the news. And I’m old dnough to remember it.
And finally, I’mglad K Dramas have food and drink products. This is a public service to me because when this social distancing ends, I’m going to nearby Korean communities in New York and New Jersey to fill up on rameyon and kimchi fixings. But evenbetter-I am dying to drink soju. So hoping K Dramas point me inthe right direction. I’ll drink to that.
I know, right?
I think it looks more fake if the director covers up the logo with black tape.
I used to watch variety shows, and it looked really dumb whenever the costume designer tried to cover up the labels. I KNOW that the jacket is a “National Geographic,” even when it’s spelled “–ational Geogr–”
Or “–DIDA-” for Adidas.
lol.
I’m thankful to @flyhoneystars because 3 weeks ago your blog brought me here in BoD! This blog has totally change my Kdrama experience! Arigatou!
PPL are so powerful that I’ve heard many Japanese tourists flocked to Korea and visited the gorgeous location in Kdrama.
I love the PPLs, they’re not just economic booster, they’re also some kind of connection to other culture and sometimes brought new info to viewers from developing nation.
@Eureka I agree that PPL are an insight into other cultures. They are a sort of window into what is popular in that country. I’ve learned much about SK from the PPL. I even remember I bought a BB cushion foundation after it was endorsed by a lead actress in a kdrama. I’ve not been to SK ever and am really keen to visit the country one day. When I do vidit, maybe next year, I’m surely going to have a list of things I want to buy based on PPL😛 So I would call that successful marketing by the kdrama industry.
@John L: I’ve been wondering about those masks too. Is that really an actual product in SK for face masks? So strange! Looks like Iron Man mask to me!
@phoenix the mask is a real product! But it’s very very expensive. Think these LED red light therapy products are a popular trend for skincare now, in CLOY Seri was seen using another version in her skincare routine.
On the kimchi: I had a huge shock the other day when I opened my fridge to see the exact same pack of Jongga kimchi featured in the show staring back at me. 😏 Hubs had gone to the Korean mart to help me buy stuff & he decided to get a pack to try as it came highly recommended (he hadn’t watched tkem). And it actually tastes pretty good, one of the best amongst the various brands we’ve tried.
Wow @JT7 Thanks for the info! Thats a real product😲😲😲Those masks had looked too futuristic to me!
I’m not a big fan of cabbage in general; so I avoid kimchis. That brand that they showed must be a popular one, if they are stocked in stores outside SK too.
I learnt how to make Kimchi after Kdramas ! It’s very easy to make (although time consuming) and tastes delicious. It was so good to have a stock of homemade kimchi in my fridge-that-was-a-mistake when the lockdown hit and the supermarkets didn’t have enough fresh veggies !
This is the practical issue with Carpe diem. You never assume you’d have a stable marriage, a stable job or enough financial security to have children or hoards of guests for dinners and stay overs. So you buy the smallest possible fridge that’d do in that moment and spend rest of posterity playing Jenga inside it. 🙄
Hahaha..that’s so funny, @Arihsi🤣🤣🤣🤣
In the past (before 2010), they do not allow PPL and they have to purposely blur out all the logos. I’m rewatching coffee prince and notice how they like to paste post-its on the milk which was a little awkward but amusing at the same time.
@Arihsi I think there’s a difference between PPL and sponsors. For PPL, I think the brands pay (excessively amount of) money to feature their brand and products. These will come with obvious airtime and mention (like the lip balm and the alley tea). On the other hand, sponsors may not have to pay that amount of money, or perhaps pay lesser money and in return, they do not get that ‘obvious’ feature, but they will be allowed to do a shoutout on their SNS/websites to say that they are a sponsor. I believe the PM’s expensive jewellery ($80k earrings) from Boucheron Paris and Gentle Monster sunnies are all sponsors and not PPL.
@Eureka glad that you found this blog too! I’ve been following it religiously and it has definitely made the drama 10x more exciting as my brain would not have processed the amount of details @pm3 is capable of. I’m also happy that there are so many fans that like to ‘live watch’ dramas. Most of my friends prefer to binge-watch dramas when it ends and it’s so difficult to find people to discuss them with!
And also, the LED masks have actually been in the market for a really long time! I vaguely remember my facial place using it like 5 to 6 years ago. Now, they made the masks more portable so you are able to DIY at home! The brand feature one is rather pricey but you can get ‘similar’ OEM products from china and a quarter of the price. But that’s if you’re willing to take the risk and trust it =p
I just find the PPL funny. Cos (1) we all know they are contracted to show those products in the show & they cannot escape them (2) Some of them are interestingly incorporated in the script but you still know its PPL (3) some are in your face, like it is a running joke.
As long as PPL does not hamper the story & it helps in the production upkeep, I say go.
The PPL’s have been working for me because ever since I started watching these dramas, I have bought Gentle Monster sunglasses, one of Se-ri’s Swarovski earrings as a gift for my sister, and now I got that damn plum blossom necklace.
Must have a bottle of kimchi in the fridge at all time, to prevent my craving for fried chicken after drama. @Arihisi – good idea to have a stock of homemade, unless I am not watching kdramas
I want to write so much but I’m really behind schedule on a lot of things and it’s already past midnight in my world. Let me skip to
Dear @Packmule3, please stay safe. And may the force be with you in keeping the people safe.
Prime Minister Koo’s jewelry is Boucheron Jewelry. I was fascinated by it from the first episode! I searched for it, and found an article on the Hong Kong Tattler about it. This PPL is not overt like the bottled drinks, BBQ, Alley, etc. I think the jewelry style is complementary to the PM’s character’s style: feminine, gorgeous, and expensive. Additionally, the line that PM wears is called “Serpent Boheme”. The “serpent” is sure apropro to PM Koo! Most of her earring shapes do resemble water droplets which is also complementary to the rain/water themes.
Great networking here. Thank you all for incredible research and insights…have you guys noticed PM Koo wore same trench coat in MVA scene as Seri wore in CLOY when she went off to office in SK leaving HB at home alone?
@mimiahjumma I did notice that right away – that brown-black combination half jacket type unusual looking coat that PM Koo was the same as the one Yoo Seri wore in CLOY. I was wondering if that’s a latest fashion trend in South Korea!
Well don’t know but it was stunning. I saw an article about all the designer clothes Son Ji Yin wore during the drama (including the sweaters and skirts she wore while in the ‘No Korea’ episodes). Pretty sure this coat was a top dollar designer brand too. So it suprised me that it would be in another drama… but she wore it well☺️
It’s from Bottega Veneta! Over $6000 USD I believe!
@Jennifer Thanks for the brand info😊 Wow..that’s really expensive!!😲😲
@mimiahjumma I don’t find it stunning either, just strange. Kind of a combination of jacket and coat, which actually I will never go in for. But agreed Seri pulled it off better than PM Koo. I too was wondering how they were showing the same outfit twice in two dramas back to back. And how did the leading ladies agree to it? The brand must be paying a lot. In my country’s entertainment industry, the paparazzi makes a big issue out of it if two loading ladies are seen wearing the same outfit on-screen or off-screen – as a sign that the second lady is copying the one who wore it first and has poor fashion sense😛 Then she spends a lot of time doing press conferences to say it is unintentional 🤣🤣
Interesting how cultures differ..