I see this video every Monday at the place where I eat dinner before my workshop. For about a year now, I’ve wondered who the star of the video is. (Hey, you watch the video and try taking your eyes off her. Seriously.) In desperation, after much searching online for similar vids, I described it to Lisa, since her knowledge of Korean pop culture vastly exceeds mine. “And then they photograph it all on their phones,” I said, describing a specific plot point in the video’s story. Her eyes lit up.
“Oh, maybe it’s a mobile phone commercial!”
“But I never saw a logo,” I said. “Shouldn’t it be plastered on everything?”
“Not really. They’re actually really subtle. They embed the product in music videos all the time.”
So last night I finally asked our server who the star was. Turns out she’s Lee Hyori, and she’s huge. This would explain why I think I see her everywhere when watching K-pop vids or looking at soju posters. Here’s the video:
See what I mean about the story? There actually is one. Sure, it’s thin. But it’s there. I honestly wish more advertising worked this way. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of these in front of my downloadable content. Or other places, like bus shelters and bars. The system certainly seems to work: fans are putting Samsung’s commercials on fucking YouTube, for Christ’s sake.
Lee Hyori is no stranger to CF’s (commercial films), either. Here’s an English subbed interview regarding one she filmed with Rain:
Sidebar: Rain, you’re very pretty, but please don’t ever compare a woman’s body to horse muscle ever again. Kthxbai.