Product Placement...Everywhere

One of the best parts about watching dramas and movies online is that, when you subscribe to a streaming service like Netflix, DramaFever, or Viki, you don't have to watch commercials.  HOWEVER, Asian Dramas are the kings of product placement so you see all sorts of commercials all the time without ever leaving the show.  Below are a few examples.

Restaurants:
If you are watching a drama from the past 5 years, it is absolutely inevitable that at least two of the characters will have some sort of a meeting or date in either Subway or Dunkin' Donuts.  If they order pizza it will be from Dominoes and if chicken is on the menu, more than likely it is coming from Kentucky Fried Chicken (unless of course one of the characters owns a chicken restaurant).

Now don't get me wrong, I like the food from all of these establishments from time to time, however, if I were going to a big date, I'm not sure Subway would be my choice.  Nor would I probably choose Dunkin' Donuts as my venue of choice if I need to have a showdown with an evil mother-in-law.  Or maybe it would be...I mean you could throw donuts which would allow you to let off steam without actually hurting anyone.   Am I right?  (Side note, I'm not sure I have ever seen anyone in an Asian drama eat a donut in Dunkin' Donuts...just coffee.  Sad because their donuts are awesome!)

At any rate, these places show up ALL THE TIME and I am sure I have seen promos for them more frequently in the dramas I've watched than I ever saw through their commercials here in the States.  At least, I remember them more this way, so in that respect...I guess congratulations are deserved!

Bottled Water and Cans of Coffee
Since I don't live where I see these water bottles in real life, I generally don't recognize the brand (the exception being the Vitamin Water from the USA that is everywhere in "The Greatest Love"), but I feel pretty sure that if I ever saw them in real life I would recognize them.  Most dramas seem to have one beverage of choice that is drunk by EVERYONE.  So you see that bottle of water, or possibly can of coffee all over the place.  I will admit that I am super curious to try the cans of coffee that somehow are warm when you open them.  I've never seen any like that here.


Makeup and Skin Care Products
The final thing that you see a lot in Asian Drama is skin care and make up product placement.  The camera will have a close up of whatever product the character is using and make sure you see the name of it.  Sometimes that characters will even discuss the product with dialog along the lines of, "You're skin seems dry.  You should try this __________ lotion.  It's great. I've got an extra, just keep this one."  In the most recent version of Itazura Na Kiss called "Miss in Kiss" the skin care from Dr. Wu is practically a character in the show...in fact, Dr. Wu is a very very very minor character.

Where watching commercials can often be boring, it's rather fun to look for the product placements in dramas.  Sometimes it's even humorous to see how the products are put into the show.  If you haven't noticed before, I hope you'll enjoy seeing them from now on.  

Until next time!