PRODUCT PLACEMENT: THE OTHER LEAD STAR

Here’s why Subway resto and Kopiko candy are often seen in K-dramas.

- RICARDO T. PAMINTUAN

‘I think I'm not the only one who has noticed an increasing number of product placements in streaming shows, be they Western or Asian. At first amusing, they have quickly progressed from distracting to annoying.

Even as the golden age of television enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with the advertising industry — with TV commercials and catchy lines and jingles becoming parts of pop culture — many rejoiced when it inevitably yielded to cable service and later to streaming, precisely because of the absence of commercials.

But the gods of Madison Avenue — together with all the Mad Men (and Women) of the world — wouldn't be easily silenced. By breathing new life into an old ploy and using subtle (indirect) as well as not-so-subtle (blatant, sometimes written into the dialogue) methods of introducing their clients’ products to millions of regular viewers, they are able to create a subliminal space where a product shares the same glamorous frame as beloved characters.

In the long, glittery history of entertainment, brands have always had a knack for finding the spotlight. Long before “influencer marketing” became a buzzword, product placement or PPL— the art of slipping a branded good into a film, TV show, or streaming drama — was already alive and thriving.

The practice is almost as old as cinema itself. In 1896, the Lumière brothers — inventors of the Cinématographe, an early motion-picture camera and projector —reportedly featured Lever Brothers’ Sunlight Soap in one of their short films. Through the years, some partnerships have become iconic.

James Bond had his Aston Martin DB5. Dominic Toretto drove his Dodge Charger throughout the Fast & Furious franchise. John Wick’s 1969 Mustang is practically a costar. Reaching 88 kph was a piece of cake for Doc Emmett Brown's DeLorean in Back to the Future. And those icons of cuteness, the VW Beetle Herbie and Mr. Bean’s Mini Cooper, spawned generations of enthusiasts.