According to the Chosun Ilbo, the hobbies of K-drama protagonists are almost always hiking or cooling their minds through fishing. The reason lies in the active marketing efforts of rapidly evolving outdoor brands, which have influenced the plot and development of K-dramas.
The South Korean outdoor goods market in 2013 grew by 11% compared to 2012 (5.8 trillion KRW), reaching 6.4 trillion KRW. Industry insiders said that these companies’ marketing expenditures this year will exceed 1 trillion KRW.
As the market expands, advertising models have also become more dazzling. In the past, fierce competition for celebrity endorsements was mainly seen in industries such as home appliances, beauty, fashion, and apartments, but in recent years, the outdoor gear sector has risen rapidly. It’s no exaggeration to say that celebrities who disappeared from apartment ads due to a downturn in the construction industry have flocked to the outdoor products market.
Outdoor brands, becoming more aggressive in marketing, not only invite celebrities for endorsements but also focus on sponsoring TV dramas. Particularly, the advantage of product placement (PPL) is that it can easily spread advertising effects nationwide.
This sometimes leads to incoherent or reversed plots. In the Korean drama “The Heirs,” Episode 8 originally featured a training camp set at a hotel, but in Episode 9, it suddenly changed to a camping site. Additionally, there was a close-up shot of students setting up tents, providing detailed exposure of the sponsored brand’s products.