K-Wave

when Advertising and Marketing meet the korean wave #advertising #marketing #southkorea #kpop #kwave

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Beauty!

[rooomusic]

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So in love with her!

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It would be lying to say that I didn't enjoy making this short observation on the Korean advertising industry and the predominance of celebrity endorsements.

Thanks for reading!

Tumblr to be continued next February, when I'll be in Seoul for a semester abroad. I will definitely keep you posted, giving you insights from the field! FUN FUN FUN! Can't wait!

곧 내 친구가 당신을보고!

(god nae chinguga dangsin-eulbogo !)

See you soon friends!

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Yeah, let's celebrate all together the end of my adventures across the Korean advertising and pop culture!

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G Dragon meets Glaceau Vitamin Water

In a more positive note, I wanted to show you a good example of celebrity endorsement, in my opinion of course.

K-Pop wildest and most appreciated rappers G Dragon from the boy band BIG BANG has been named as the main spokesman of the soft drink brand. For the occasion, the brand launched a national campaign featuring G Dragon (cf. previous post), where the tone was to humor and cuteness. The k-pop star also created his own product, the G- Creator Vitamin Water, fresh and eccentric mix just like him.

For the launching party he even dyed his hair the same color (cf. picture above) and the monthly feminine magazine Cosmopolitan Korea also dedicated a whole dossier on the rapper, with at the heart of all the picture the orange bottle.

I must admit, the match of the two is just perfect! Eccentricity, Extravaganza and Fun = G Dragon + Vitamin Water.

Great marketing strategy Glaceau!

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Kim Yuna for Hite Beer.

Just a little illustration of the contradiction I raised in my last post. The very famous figure skater Kim Yuna, endorser of Hite. Well, I shouldn't be so harsh, sure young athlete are aloud to have fun and drink but isn't inappropriate for someone who's know for her rigor, her perfection, her lightness on the ice?

This ad is indeed effective because Yuna is loved and respected by the Korean people. Curiously enough the costumer sees the notoriety of the endorser more than the underlying paradox in most of the cases.

You won Hite, I won't hesitate to try your new ice point beer once I'm in Seoul next February!

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As I already introduced you to the notoriety of the girl group Girls' Generation I don't need to remind you that the nine girls are seen as the most influential celebrity of the country.

Celebrity endorsement has its limits despite the fact that it can definitely help raise the sales of a product, increase a brand's notoriety. When you know that more than 70% of all marketing campaigns are centered on celebrities, I couldn't help but think that this incredible reliance on celebrity endorsement had a negative impact on the brand.

First, how can a brand build a strong personality, bond or relationship with its costumers when its image changes every now and then. Therefor, the brand can be affected because the costumers create a lasting relationship with the celebrity but not with the brand.

Furthermore, this kind of advertising demands a serious source of investment as you can imagine. Being able to pay for the nine girls of the Girls' Generation band, inevitably is pricey. The brand has to judiciously place its communication budget in a celebrity, when timing is also no to neglect. What I find interesting is that when a celebrity has nothing to do with the product he or she is endorsing. Why would a fan of so and so want to buy a good that is radically in contradiction with the values of the celebrity? For instance, the world champion figure skater Kim Yuna has been one of the main endorsers for the Korean beer Hite Jinro. Doesn't it sound weird for you? Definitely following a very strict training program where alcohol drinks are probably prohibited.

Anyhow, the Korean costumers are undoubtedly less shock since they are surrounded by those contradictions, celebrity endorsement is part of their cultural norm.

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Girls' Generation for G-STAR RAW

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Girls' Generation "Twinkle" MV or GIRL perfume ad for 10 corso como? The first time I watched this music video what attracted my attention was mostly the opulence of the scenes, clothings, jewelery etc. However, after the first minute of the clip I noticed that one of the girl was holding a bottle of perfume with something written on it when the whole video clip doesn't have visible product placement. Not so subtle, around 2:10 a pop-up advert appears on the bottom of the video for the new perfume, GIRL, by the very famous and trendy concept store, 10 corso como.

What's even more striking is the fact that the pop-up is NOT avoidable! You can't close it! Not only is there a product-demo in the MV but there's a explicit ad along the song. 2 in 1 for the brand!

The girl group of nine members has been ranked 1st girl group in Korea for many years now and according to Forbes magazine, the girls would be the most influential and popular celebrity of South Korea.

No wonder why they are so mediatized and that they are endorsers of SO many brands, such as LG Electronics, Intel, Samsung, Elit, 7-Eleven, Lipton, Dior, Cartier etc. Brands that have nothing to do one with the others, from chicken fast-food to cosmetics, to clothes, to haute couture.

Could this lack of consistency in celebrity endorsements be a weakness for the brands that only take advantage of the celebrity notoriety and are seen as an extension of the endorser more than a real brand image, the brand is not loved but the celebrity is?

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SMILE!

I'll be right back to you with some very interesting things, very soon!

Anyo!

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Did you ever notice that Dara's song KISS ME is a not so subtle ad for Cass Fresh Beer?

Oh and the famous actor, "flower boy", Lee Min Ho is also featuring.

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--MISSING YOU--Oh dear, how much I love this song! The hair styles, the clothes, the accessories are so cool!

By the way, did you noticed that something was missing from the usual MVs? Dance! Usually a traditional Korean music video has choreographies, where as here the girls of 2NE1, CL, Dara, Minzy, Bom, are mostly contemplating their nostalgia.

2NE1, definitely the sweetest Korean all girl band!

[jakalope242]

Joe Hisaishi and Hayao Miyazaki at the Studio Ghibli 25 Years Concert in Budokan.

[actuallygrimes]

oohhhh <3 

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I know this has nothing to do with my usual theme of analysis, but I really wanted to share this very touching gif because even without the sound the mood is right there. Joe Hisaishi and Hayao Miyazaki are definitely two heroes who knew how to bring warmth and dreams back into our lives.

Off I go listening to the introduction song of My neighbor Totoro...

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Want a laugh? This a little compilation of the weirdest Korean ads.

As you can notice, almost all of them are "featuring" a celebrity, like Suzy from Miss A or BoA. Funny how the same celebrity can be the ambassador of completely different brands, brands that have nothing to do with their brand image. Over using celebrity endorsement is, to me, not always the best way to enhance a brand's notoriety since in cases of weird combination celebrity vs brand I might discredit the already earned notoriety.

Reflexion to be continued...

[fckyeahgdragon]

GMARKET X GD

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Here's another great example of celebrity endorsement. Just hold the camera, smile, be sexy and yep, that's it, your company is worth a lot more now. Using celebrities, like GD (aka G Dragon or #GiYongChy & @xxibgdrgn on Instagram), can increase the sales of a brand exponentially.