Global brand opportunities and K-dramas: Product placement on transnational streaming media
Abstract
This content analysis offers a benchmark of product placement (PPL) in eight Korean dramas that earned top viewership on Netflix during the COVID-driven media consumption of 2020 and continued streaming 5 years later. Researchers found 507 labelled products from 78 unique brands, including a heavy presence of brands from 11 non-Korean countries. Automobiles appeared most frequently as a product category, followed by food and beverages. Branded products were often used by primary characters for extended periods of time. Findings add to PPL literature by evaluating non-US over-the-top (OTT) programming with continuing global SVoD viewership and includes explanations of regulation differences in South Korea.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Asian Culture and Media Studies
Marketing and Advertising Strategies
Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Global Media and Communication
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 45–69
- Publication date
- 17 February 2026
- Language
- EN