Kpop Reality Check

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Continuation of Visual Analysis from Part 2.

Above: Choi Ji Woo as the snow queen. However the shape of the unfinished circle reminds me OF THIS ……

Of Park Bom’s newly released Don’t Cry MV… which then reminds me of THIS…

Nicole Kidman in Chanel No.5 perfume CF, holy smokes it’s AD-CEPTION, an advertisement within an advertisement. Only joking, abit too deep with my analysis, getting back on track.

Above: Okay I know she’s the snow queen WHATEVS but it reminds me so much of cinderella especially with Song Seung Hun coming up the stairs and everything. 

Above: The handsome 2PM boys are easily seen in costume as pirate characters dancing and having fun. The only advertisements are basically the random present boxes in the sky which have the LOTTE corporate colours of red and white and the logo is visible.  

Above: Kim Hyung Joong and Jang Geun Suk on these flying comet like spheres which resemble gardens. Cmon you cannot deny the fact that it resembles to Super Mario Galaxy world. Also this “fairytale” or storyline was the most confusing, I still have no idea what’s going on. They’re on the opposite side of the same planet sphere, then they’re on different one’s, then JGS reads a book with KHJ in it, and beside it is KHJ inside the television… then magically they end up together. My interpretation of it was “Hey, let’s meet at Lotte Duty Free, It’s in this book” then they meet each other and there’s these awesome products inside bubbles floating around near them. I knew there had to be at least another appearance by products. 

Above: KHJ and JGS jumping for joy over perfume bottles inside bubbles.

Well i’ve you made it to the end of my 3 part analysis THANK YOU :) I really appreciate it and show me some love and feedback! Remember this is an advertisement and appreciate the amount of energy, creative and amount of time that i put into this analysis:P haha only joking. 

Enjoy the advertisement for what it is, AN ADVERTISEMENT! 

Visuals: The following images would contrast different conventions and movies which they drew inspiration from that are similar to the CF! There will also be an analysis of the advertising visual techniques. NOTE: The products and brand name LOTTE which appear is not subliminal advertising. This is an advertisement by LOTTE, so if anything the celebrities are placed AROUND the product/service itself.

Above: A fairytale opening would not be complete without a fairytale book! That can’t make it more obvious than this, the title of the book says “Lotte Duty Free.”

Above: Okay this close upshot is BLOODY BEAUTIFUL. It tells us the marketing team’s inspiration drawn from which fairytales and it’s sort of gone unnoticed as this shot has 0.5 of screen time. You can see Wonderland, Aladdin, Snow queen and others mentioned.

Above: Hyun Bin vs Alice in Wonderland

Above: So by now it’s pretty damn obvious Hyun Bin’s character is the Mad Hatter however they also got inspired with the mise en scene aswell! Hyun Bin’s background is made of trees and LOTTE DUTY FREE PRODUCTS. There are 6 products alone in that single shot: a opened green box, a diamond ring, a clock and a picture frame.

Above: Okay don’t tell me I was the only one who got this atmosphere? JYJ is a dance and singing idol group, surely they can sing in the rain?

Above: okay i don’t even need a contrasting picture, with that stance legs apart, one hand out slowly raising down towards the beat synchronised with at least another person, HELLO MUSICAL!!! 

Above: JYJ’s window shopping at LOTTE’s duty free shop. Can you say product placement? Luxury brand bags and shoeeeeeeeeeeeees ! Not entirely sure what fantasy or fairytale they’re meant to be but according to the contents page it says “Magic Shop”. 

Above: It’s a no brainer who Big Bang GDragon fairytale character is … Aladdin :D With that he rubs the magic lamp and the rest of the Big Bang members appear. 

Above: They’ve taken alot of inspiration from Disney’s animated picture in Aladdin, however it might’ve just been a coincidence as the architecture was pretty common and popular it that point in history.

Above: Although it doesn’t look specifically the same, the overall style and atmosphere is similar. The word’s “Lotte duty free” are really evident front and centre apart of the lighting and there is abundance of products which are “hidden” in the gold like treasures. I mean check out that brown hand bag in the bottom right hand corner.

Continue reading on PART 3.

Following up on popular advertising techniques in the kpop industry I just couldn’t resist doing a post about the newly released high budget Lotte Duty Free commercial film which features high end celebrities and idols. With big name stars such as Secret Garden’s Hyun Biin, JYJ, Big Bang, Choi Ji Woo, My Princess’s Song Seung Hun, 2pm and Mary stayed out all night’s Jang Geuk Suek the company is seeing dollar signs ! 

Lotte is a successful Korean retail company who are now in the promotions for their duty free shop. Their target audience is evidently Korean citizens however seeing as it is duty free this is linked to airports and international audiences. The purpose of the high end celebrities is not only aesthetically pleasing but is appealing to international audiences who are part of the hallyu wave. What does their marketing team have to say? Director Kim Ju Nam of Lotte’s marketing team explained, “The reason we are signing on such mammoth stars is not simply for our sales. Lotte’s star marketing emphasizes the creation of new content. Our aim is to expand Korea’s tourism industry through enter’tour’ment marketing, a combination of the tourism industry and the entertainment industry.”  

Okay so now we know that basically it was a high budget CF because they wanted international consumers, sales to sky rocket and the image of a creative corporate identity. No one can deny their creativity, with their marketing team coming up with an appealing concept of fairytale visuals and characters. Before I blab on, you better watch it ! 

Watch it : 

Kpoprealitycheck: This is an advertisement. It looks like a beautiful fantasy world where all kpop idols unite, ride magic pirate ships and have fun. This is an advertisement for the retail company Lotte. 

If you plan on going to Korea and going to Lotte duty free then that’s an extreme case of knowing that their ad has worked, however as the marketing team stated above they wanted international audiences to be aware of their retail brand. BINGO! I mean heck, I’m not Korean, I don’t speak Korean, I’ve never even been to Korea however I know about a retail giant named Lotte through kpop, amaahhhzing.

Kpopselfrespect: I can appreciate the amount of creativity gone into their advertisement without feeling like purchasing or going to a duty free shop. I mean i feel a little ridiculous for stating the obvious but c’mon this advertisement was so magical!  

Other: Advertisement Analysis
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the retail nor production company in anyway. This is just my opinion and analysis, you may not agree with what I have to say. This is entirely my interpretation of the advertisement. 

Why is this advertisement generating so much interest? Well normally we check out an advertisement when it has our favourite kpop idol in it. This ad doesn’t have one but has 19 idols within it, it’s bound to be seen by numerous audiences from drama enthusiasts to vips. 

Music:  The song is fun catchy and reflects a classier and refined christmas carol. I wouldn’t say it was kpop but more like a kjingle, but i doubt that even exists anyways… A sample of the translated lyrics are “so i’m loving you, duty duty duty dut- so I’m loving you, it’s wonderful, too happy, at this place we will wait for you.” Okay so it makes sense and it’s a welcoming song towards the duty free shop, the only criticisms I have is the repitition of ‘duty duty duty..” it sounds catchy but doesn’t really make sense. The retail company’s name Lotte is mentioned numerous times throughout the ad. Throughout the ad the celebrities who are endorsing Lotte are singing it and it looks like a freaking magical musical.

Concept: The concept is so evidently a fairytale stories, stories such as Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin and well fairy tale characters such as a Snow Queen and pirates also appear aswell. This has got to be one of my favourite ad’s and is bumped Carribean Theme park’s CABI CF off my number 1. The graphics are stunning in contrast with kpop advertising techniques of massive bright fluro sets.

A visual analysis would be done in PART 2.

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Remember to respect yourself and get the reality check you need! 

Nowadays audiences are able to distinguish the difference between an ad and a television show. It’s obvious because it’s in a form and time slot of an ad. However as international audiences, when watching subbed korean variety we miss out on alot of the ads fortunately. However we are aware that many Idols have this desire for or being in CF. CF stands for commercial film. It’s great for them as they become a spokesperson for that product (endorsing that product) and get paid bucket loads. 

Advertising companies know their audiences well, they know we love idols, kpop music, kpop dramas and aesthetic features such as fashion, good looks and hair. They roll all of these elements into one and BAM, there’s your high budget CF. I’m not talking about CF that goes for about 30 seconds, I’m talking the one’s where there’s a storyline, characters and it’s mesmerising like drama but catchy just like a music video. Often in these CF’s the product would be a primary storyline or appear unnecessarily over and over again. This is not subliminal advertising, subliminal is when you don’t know it or realise that it’s there, whereas in these ads you’re well aware that these products appear over and over again.

They would often use the idols to their advantage, by promoting the ad with one of their songs, have them half naked or the korean’s headline grabber a kiss.

Although your’re listening to the song at the same time and it may not be related to the CF, there’s real damn obvious one’s where the lyrics have the product’s name in it and are repeated several times. Let’s use examples, 

SNSD and 2PM - Cabi : “C.A.B.I….. cabi cabi” ( even the title of the song is the product/service!!!)
SNSD - Visual Dreams : “Core Core…. get into my core” (you have an imagination, use it)
BIG BANG and 2NE1 - Lollipop : “Lolli lolli lollipop….” 

Kpoprealitycheck: You are first and foremost watching an advertisement. If you’re not watching an advertisement you’re listening to one, because you’d downloaded the song onto your ipod. 

Kpopselfrespect: I can recognise whether I’m watching an advertisement or not.
I am smart enough to know that tactics by advertising companies aimed at me are there to purposely result in the sale of a product or service. I am still able to appreciate the song and creativity that went into this ad without feeling deceived into purchasing a product.

Other:

Okay, so by now we all know it’s an advertisement, but why do we love it so much? We can’t help ourselves, they’ve managed to snowball every aspect into a mere 5 minutes. These ads are intended for Korean audiences however with the rising korean pop culture spreading over seas these ads now have new audiences all over the world. These companies love it and if you’re ordering their product in the mail or online, you know that their ad worked. Most important is to recognise whether it’s an advertisement and if you’re not purchasing or influenced by these ads then theres nothing to worry about. Enjoy !

Analysis of CFS
Disclaimer: This is in my opinion, you may or may not agree with what i have to say. This is in no way judging the artists or groups, this is an analysis of the advertising techniques and forms which are mimicked such as dramas, music videos. 

How can one not love this? Even if you’re not a fan of the artists, having the men reveal their abs and women in tank top and short shorts the companies can and are seeing dollar signs $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

I loved how the form of it looks like a movie poster aswell, with the time it’s going to broadcast, questions to gain curiosity from audiences. The music video which i’m pretty sure EVERYBODY has seen, features a life saving class whose training and a love story between Yoona and Taecyeon. This is set at Caribbean Bay a water theme park, and it manages to promote their swimming pools, water slides and sights.

Above: SNSD and 2PM : CABI CF

Above: SNSD - Chocolate Love

I mean it doesn’t get any more damn obvious than this, there’s no storyline, they’re dancing with the mobile phones. This was promoting LG’s Cyon New Chocolate Phone. The song has the lyrics “i got you babe, i call, i call it chocolate love.” I don’t know whether it was intentionally got the verb ‘call” to correlate with phone as in, ‘phone call’ = LG :O !!! But either way this music video is an advertisement.

Above: F(x) - Chocolate Love

Similar stuff to SNSD, Lg’s Cyon Chocolate mobile phone used to girlgroups under the same company to promote their mobile phone. This technique is adopted here, where the phone looks suggestive almost good enough to eat which is what they want audiences to think. There’s also another suggestive concept, which you guys can use your imagination. These shot is similar to food advertisements, a close up of a mouth eating the product, it’s suggesting it’s product of the mobile is chocolate. Fair enough since that’s the name. 

Above: Cass beer CF, Lee Min Ho and Sandara Park. Music: Kiss - 2Ne1

This CF was similar to a korean drama. With it’s use of interesting storyline and character. It’s about a man who takes a bet with his friends at a party where everybody drinks cass beer he had to prove he could get the girl. I’m not even entirely sure what her career is, her moves seem to mimic a DJ with her chunky head phones but she’s bar tending,  pouring cass beer to all the customers in front of a neon sign that says ‘cass’. He drops a ring into a glass of cass beer. He arrogantly kisses her on the cheek ( coincides with the title song) and she slaps him. They run into each other at a music concert where everybody is drinking cass beer and rocking it until everybody throws their cass beer into the air and unknown liquid spurts showering everyone. Yes it could innocently be water but i’m convinced it’s cass beer. The two have cass beer together and he places a can ring on her finger. The two go shopping together, invites her to a party and shock horror she bins the shopping bags. She turns up at the party where everybody drinks cass beer and tosses her mobile into a glass of cass beer. The two kiss and she rips up the cheque where the man made the bet. She tosses the ring into a glass of cass beer and walks off clutching the can ring necklace.

Okay if you just skipped all that, cass beer was written 11 times, it appears a gazillion times in the video but you don’t really notice it cause you’re too busy focusing on the storyline, Sandara’s sexiness and Lee Min Ho’s smile. 

Above: Big Bang and 2NE1’s debut - Lollipop

This is similar to chocolate love, it was an advertisement for LG Cyon’s Lollipop mobile phone but as far as i’m concerned it doesn’t appear in the music video. The focus is on the visuals of the colours, visuals of Big Bang and of course anticipated YG’s girlgroup 2NE1 debut. The two groups sing and dance together and it’s overall fun and poppy. The product doesn’t appear but it’s in the lyrics. 

Above: 2NE1 - Don’t stop the music - Yamaha Fiore CF

Okay, the girls pose and ride yamaha vehicles, yamaha vehicles are in the background, but it looks awesome, with vivid colours, catchy song and fresh dance moves. Oh wait, they’re trying to make it in the form of a music video. 

Above: DBSK/TVXQ and SNSD - Haptic Scandal

This has go to be my favourite example. Not only is it an advertisement but they’ve separated the plot into 4 small advertisements making it similar to Korean Drama episodes. The characters use the phone to communicate or show off to their partner. They’ve managed to shove a love triangle, trapped elevator scenario, scandal and carnival all into one. They’ve managed to to change lyrics in SNSD’s song “Way to go” with the words “Haptic”. Haptic means touch in greek, thus promoting Samsung’s Anycall new touch phone. In some parts of the advertisement it feels as if the characters are slipping in the words Haptic, as if doesn’t make any coherent sense. 

There are many examples out there but i just choose the ways i know best thus i could analyse them better. Be advertisement smart, recognise ads and appreciate the creativity that went into them without being influenced or feeling deceived.

When was the last time you spoke to your parents or siblings? Like really spoke and had a deep and meaningful conversation? Factors such as school, puberty, friends, interests (kpop) and the availability of Internet access may keep us occupied or distracted from maintaining and engaging in fundamental family relationships. 

It is more likely that you would stay in your room alone surfing the internet than be in the company of your family. Now I’m not saying go spend some family time by talking about everyone’s emotions and playing scrabble, which most of you probably won’t do ( personally I love scrabble). I’m saying don’t take your family for granted, we easily remind ourselves that our family is always going to be there thus fail to take initiative in building upon that relationship. This should be the reverse as our family is our number 1 support system. Regardless of all the hardships you go through and conflict of opinions, you know that your family still accepts you with your flaws, goofiness and will be there no matter what. You always want your family to be proud of you :)

Many of us take our family for granted because we see them everyday, thus not finding the importance in bonding. However many Korean Idols who are busy focusing on their career can spend up to 6 months without seeing their parents and siblings. They can still communicate via phones but lack the bonding time to strengthen the relationship. Korean Idols in terms of only their career, family is considered to be their manager, co workers and the remaining girlgroup/boy band members in their group. Not only that, the obvious fact is that they will miss their family alot! I know that without my family members, i would miss them so much and be really incompetent relying on fast food and shops to survive.

kpoprealitycheck: We take our family for granted, as we’re too busy focusing on external factors.

Korean Idols may go for months without seeing their family. Whilst we see our parents regularly and take it for granted.

kpopselfrespect:  

I can strengthen my relationship with family members.

I will support my family members.

Other:

You may need to work on your relationship with your family if:

• you ignore what your family members are saying and listen to your kpop music on your ipod during meal times such as breakfast, lunch and dinner, during family gatherings.
• you are consuming over 3 hours of kpop media, which are music videos, variety shows and blogging
• the only time you see your family is during dinner time because everyone has to sit at the dining table
• you don’t situate yourself in a different room other than your bedroom or study
• you do not talk to each family member at least once a day

Above: SHINee’s Minho - Oh My School or 100 points out of 100

Below: SNSD’s song- Dear Mom

Many people would find the title confronting and would not read it, ignore it or be in denial. Lots of students claim that before they discovered kpop they were a witty clever student. Thus blaming their demise in grades and good study habits on kpop. Kpop may have been a catalyst however is not the sole problem. The problem is insufficient time management and the fear of failing. 

Everybody is afraid of failing whether it’d be an exam, grade, interview or audition. Thus people feed upon kpop as a distraction preventing them to confront that maths exam next week or science project. People are afraid of trying their best and still failing rather than trying half heartedly and failing and can blame the fact that they didn’t try. 

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. ” - Taken from the movie Coach Carter (2005)

Having read that, time management seems to also be a crucial challenge for many people. You are in control of how much Kpop media you consume. No one is forcing you to watch a whole 16 episode drama in one night, No one is going to hunt you down because you haven’t seen the latest mv. The way i like to think of it is Kpop is like sleep. The more Kpop media you consume the harder it is to reduce, just like when you sleep longer on weekends it’s difficult to reduce the amount of sleep and wake up early on Monday morning. 

You can overcome this by :

• setting time limits on the computer/laptop when you’re consuming kpop media
• prioritising! Complete your homework and revise, once finished Kpop can be used as a reward whatever that form may be such as tumblr, youtube, dailymotion.You will definitely feel much better and not guilty about putting off work !
• think positively! Don’t be afraid to fail, you’d think we’re afraid to fail so we try harder but in reality it doesn’t work that way :P Start tasks as early as possible, do less homework over more nights rather than alot of homework in one night. This way you can have more time for your rewards!
• ‘Realists do not fear the results of their study’ If you know that you studied the night before a test panicked, stressed, you’re not going to be expecting spectacular results. Put in as much effort for the results that you want. Make sure the amount of effort adds up to what your goal is !
• Set false deadlines and finished these projects by this set deadline

Kpop is not your life, it is an interest. You have far more important things in your life such as your studies, friends, family, work, dreams and goals. Balancing your time with studies and interests would result in guilt free kpop spazzing over a newly released mv and grades that you are happy with :) 

Good luck ! 

Kpoprealitycheck: I am not succeeding well in school because of my time management resulting in stress and a love hate relationship with kpop. 

I can change by simply balancing my time EQUALLY with my studies and what i enjoy. I do not have to give up Kpop completely, i have to know the limits.

I have self control. 

Other: To enlighten you all below are some images of Idols graduation days. These Idols have had the high school experience ( most likely in special circumstances though) and definitely worked hard to get where they are now! Get Inspired and hit the books!

Above: SHINee’s Minho

Above: SNSD’s Seohyun

Above: U-Kiss’s Dongho

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I don’t normally do promotions but I just have to share this blog. http://kpoprealitycheck.tumblr.com/ Check it out. And follow if you want to, which I strongly advise you to do.

Thank you so much dongbangmemories, you are seriously the most nicest person i’ve come across on tumblr! Thank you so much for not only following the blog but to recommending me aswell! You deserve a medal for supporting me during my humble beginnings, i will never forget :D Thank you :D 

Korean Idols are so beautiful but don’t be fooled, as they have a strict diet and schedules of vigorous dance practices, vocal exercises, variety show drama recordings, photo shoots and the list goes on and on…

This strict diet is what makes their bodies appealing to the public as Idols. This goes from sculpted abs, nice arms, toned legs and thighs. This not only applies to Idols but to celebrities in general, as they are always under the spotlight and are placed under a lot of pressure to not only be talented but to be aesthetic pleasing aswell. 

However this post isn’t going to focus on dieting but on how (repeat after me) “I can taste what the world has to offer.” Although it’s important to have a balanced diet with all the right nutrients and vitamins, we can at least eat pretty much what we want… or whatever mum makes for dinner. There is no restrictions nor limit, you are in control of what you eat, so enjoy while you can. Ever ate something and felt guilty ? So many k pop fans are under the mentality that they aspire to have great bodies like these idols but missing out on the good stuff which is duh, FOOD! It’s their job to look good which means unfortunately they aren’t able to eat their favourite foods, wouldn’t that suck? Respect your body and respect yourself, as long as you are eating healthily and are in physical activity, ENJOY WHAT THE WORLD HAS ON OFFER OTHERWISE YOU’RE MISSING OUT! 

Kpoprealitycheck: 

To make it simple : KOREAN IDOLS ARE ON DIETS

They are all pulling off the miraculously (ALOT OF EFFORT) effortless look. 

YOU HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER WHAT YOU EAT! NO ONE IS CONTROLLING YOU BUT YOURSELF! 

Other: To enlighten you all, if you had a dollar every time you watched a variety show and idols either: 

• want to eat because their starving 
• get excited over food
• one word: beef, need I say more?

Below are images that characterise the above, there many examples and i only chose a sample for you guys to get the idea. Next time while watching a variety see if you can spot it! I am not picking on any idols or groups, these are just mere examples and there are plenty of them out there! 

Above: Kara gives Mblaq christmas cakes - Kara Bakery

Above: Taemin eating alone - SHINee Hello Baby

Above: SNSD shouting Ice cream - Show Unknown

Above: SNSD Sooyoung’s expression about beef - Star Golden Bell Idol Special

Above: Mblaq Seungho, Lee Joon and Thunder, pretty self explanatory - Sesame Player

Above: Taeyeon wants to eat her favourite ice cream - HaHaMong

Above: SHINee Key’s expression on beef - Star Golden Bell Idol Special

Remember that one of life’s requirements, is to eat to live. Might aswell make it a good experience. 

Contact lenses are such an outrageous trend as it is not your regular mascara or lipstick which are quick fixes. They require patience and are not for the weak hearted… who freak out at the thought of shoving something into their eye. They are expensive and may be a risk to your sight or eyes, symptoms such as itchy eyes and watery depending on the quality of the contacts. However if used properly then there is no harm done and you have bigger eyes!

Many Korean idols use contact lenses to either not have the hassle of wearing glasses or to make their eyes look bigger or a different colour. This is not done for no reason though, they may be trying to distinguish an image, or part of their performance costume such as in music videos and on stage. 

Above: Brown Eyed Girl’s Narsha

Above: 4minute’s Hyuna

Kpoprealitycheck: ’If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Don’t go out of your way just to purchase lenses if you believe  that they will make you look like a korean idol, because most likely it won’t. It will make your eyes adorably larger like a doll however this creates a temporary form of confidence which you will feed upon. Once it’s gone or finished, you will start back at square one, which is the same place that made you want to purchase them in the first place… aka LOW SELF ESTEEM AVENUE. No matter what type of eyes you have, large, small, mono eyelid and no eye lids embrace your individuality and accept the things that you cannot change. Embrace your eye smile, as ‘the eyes is the door to one’s heart’ and there is nothing more beautiful than the human sense of sight. P.S no offence, if i’m staring my way into someone’s heart i’d hate to be staring at a false pair of eyes. 

Those who have lenses: There is nothing wrong with contact lenses regardless of novelty or prescription. Aesthetic lenses however, users must always respect their bodies and themselves, and know the difference between when you start ‘living’ with them instead of ‘wearing’ them. 

Other:

Popular Korean and Canadian bloggers Simon and Martina try circle lenses and talk about their opinions on the rising trend.