Posts tagged ad

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.

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.