Shit I Won’t Ever Buy Thanks to the Excessive and Heavy Handed PPL Insertion in The King: Eternal Monarch

Because the production of The King: Eternal Monarch decided to give all viewers the giant middle finger in the way it inserted product placement into the drama, imma give it right back and NEVER EVER buy any of the brands or items promoted in it. Okay, except for one but I’ll get to that in the end. There have been dramas before that did a lot of PPL but nothing has ever reach this level of suckery. These are the brands I now loathe and will steer clear of at supermarkets and whatnot, and this coming from someone who loves buying fun stuff that I see in K-dramas. Way to ruin it even for for me, TKEM!

In order of awful TKEM PPL here goes: Georgia (iced coffee and iced teas), Cell Return (face mask), bb.q Chicken, The Alley, Kahi skincare (multi-use balm and Jung Tae Eul in episode 10 even had a 2 minute long scene in a department store with a brand saleslady making her try to the products and she ends up buying one, *headdesk*), Jongga stir fried kimchee in a bag, Aston Martin Kiheung (I’m totally team Lambo from now on), and Paris Baguette. There are smaller PPL sponsors that don’t merit a mention because they paid less so aren’t shoved in our faces as much as the above. But there is one very nicely presented PPL sponsor – Gentle Monster sunglasses, I really like the ones worn early on in the drama by female leads Kim Go Eun and Jung Eun Chae. Okay, rant over.

I will however check out Gentle Monster sunglasses, the PPL was nicely done and the glasses all look great!


Comments

Shit I Won’t Ever Buy Thanks to the Excessive and Heavy Handed PPL Insertion in The King: Eternal Monarch — 64 Comments

  1. My theory is that this drama was written and created to advertise the products. That was their first priority. The story revolves around the products.

    So from that perspective, if that’s the case, it’s the longest and most expensive commercial ever—over 16 hours long lol

    I’m expecting fried chicken to be the main entree at their wedding and Paris Baguette for dessert.

  2. You need to spice your blog up. The nagging is getting monotonous. Try to incorporate the PPL in your commentary:

    – This show deserves a better roasting than Georgia Coffee
    – This show is dryer than a Paris Baguette sandwich
    – The show is more difficult to digest than BBQ Olive Chicken
    – The ratings drop faster than an Aston Martin
    – The Cell Return facemask can boost collagen, but not the viewership
    – Kahi multibalm is more versatile than Lee Min Ho
    – There is a more chemistry in a pack of Jongga kimchi than between Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun

    • This is gold! If I was the owner of this blog, I would hire you in a heart beat to write all the headlines of each post Lol

      • It’s a shame you forgot their biggest sponsor, The Alley!

        —the show is a drought of ideas unlike the smooth creamy, thirst-quencher drinks from The Alley.
        —The romance is a gutter ball unlike the strikes at The Alley.
        —the show will continue to fail even your lowest expectations but not at The alley.

      • I could not come up with a snarky one on The Alley. The one I had was too offensive and a bit too long, but perhaps you like it:

        – Watching The King does more harm to your brain than the milk in The Alley Deerioca does to lactose intolerant people

        Alternatively you can do something with “diarrhoea” and “lactose intolerance” (ie The King produces more diarrhoea than… etc. etc.), but I could not come up with a snappy and lighthearted sentence.

    • “Kahi multibalm is more versatile than Lee Min Ho” Dang.That’s brutal.:D 😀

      I literally spit my coffee after reading that. Thanks for the good laugh chingu yah 😀 😀 😀

    • -The PPL does more harm to The King than the milk in The Alley’s Deerioca does to lactose intolerant people

    • – Gentle Monster Sunglasses protects Kim Eun Sook from the sun, but not from writing a bad story

  3. I’ve had a feeling for a long time that the author of this blog has changed. The tone has become more childish and content also more aggressive.

    • I agree and have suspected this over the last few weeks at least. The author seems to have changed or there is a co author on board. The childish tone is rather off putting. After almost a decade, I think I’ll stop reading now. Obviously some people enjoy this style but it’s not for me.

      • Same. This blog has been my everyday ritual for years, but I think it’s healthier for me to just let it go since the content doesn’t match my likes anymore. Bye everyone! We had some nice discussions here sometimes!

      • And you must like that, right adyjunjihyun? Because you are still here after all this time.

      • Bcoz i dont let online comments affect me. Here people take things to heart. I m just having time pass

    • are you guys new? koala has always been about the drama and the petty and the nasty and the more negative/childish stuff to the industry with a side of rumors and controversy lol in fact it used to be way worse in the past (years ago). i thought she had changed when all the articles became more neutral but thankfully she’s back on track. this is the evil cousin to dramabeans’ unicorns and rainbows everything is great paradise.

      yall would’ve had a stroke in the golden 2007-2012 days of kdrama blogging.

      • If she has become so arrogant and unpleasant, why do you stick around? Go and check out some other websites that are full of sweet and rainbows about this drama.

  4. Kim go eun has quite a good amount of cfs including chanel and around double digit overall. She is doing well in that department as well without mediaplaying articles like some other who used to say back in 2012 that she has outearned kim tae hee as newbie????

    • What’s the point of boasting about KGE’s CFs when other idols (like BP members) made many CFs and endorse waaaay more luxurious brands than her… And also when PPL is one of the reasons for her messed up drama, what a shame.. LMAO

      • Kge is channel ambassador before jennie. She doesnt mediaplay and when new yg girl group debuts it will be over for bp and with 13 songs in career they will be finished by then. Happens to every gg member unless they cross over like yoona taeyeon anf that showpiece
        She has dounle digits cfs on par with jennie. Jisso rose doesnt have many cfs in solo. By your logic bts will be behind bp as they dont take solo cfa
        But everyone knows they have highest rate.
        And lisa is non korea and sea market gives her opportunity as well as now china.
        Wait for new yg gg. N ur girls will be over. But kge is going to past more lol

      • And bp is image is based on brands. No wonder people call them models not musicians and untalented.??? Where is their discography? 13 songs???
        No wonder they r known as modelpibk and gg have short self life. Like 7 years. Rather have long career than quick peaks??? rather have twice like discography. Imagibe having 14 songs in 4 years. Tragic. No talent at all. Can’t self produce like other yg groups either. Jennie looks more happy with fashion shows than performing. Tragic. Blonks r worst fandom

    • @ady
      youre so back. talking bout Cfs and im missing the profit.

      are you gonna admit that TKEM IS a big big big FLOp? 5.2 % rating with Kim Go eun, the chanel muse and Lee min no no no (whos hyped and cant act and KES?

    • @ady “because I dont let online comments affect me? Hahaha… is that why you call people names here? Because you couldn’t be bothered by what they say, when what they say isn’t different from you?

      Someone said here you’re practically contributing to the success of this blog. I agree completely. What you say or do, when you click, even if you lie like this, just means another click. So yah, on behalf of koala, I guess that you?

      • Why r u so obsessed witb me? Other day all i see u people commenting on me when i was absent for couple of days. Jeez i dont talk about u guys in every article and about ur comments
        Only i see u guys getting affected and writing essays on me and my comments. Get a hobby

  5. i might be biased because i am a marvel fan but at least the eun seob iron man face mask PPL was entertaining, the rest? meh.

    • That iron mask facial helmet costs a pretty penny: it’s about 2000 dollar. I wonder if it’s that good. Most probably I’ll be better off investing in a good laser session with a dermatologist.

      • Maybe it helps in long term. Might be a good investment. Will checkout reviews amd might buy it if they r good

  6. Honestly, this drama is not worse than Encounter or Search:WWW. I mean how many dramas have a random and big massage chair?

  7. I’m gonna go to the alley this weekend. We have one here in London I was excited when I found out ? I wanna check out if it’s really as good as it is in the drama. I ate subway when I watched goblin ? I guess I’m one of their target market. It is in your face ppl but I am a big milk tea addict too ?

    • Same here. Whenever the chicken is served it makes me want to order one as well. The iron mask was a nice one. And if The Alley was available here I would have wanted to try out the different flavored milk tea. Some of the PPL worked for me. Though the excessive amount of PPL did not help with the cohesiveness of the story but those PPL must have paid big time.

  8. If there’s only thing this show will be remembered for besides shitty ratings and Japanese buildings will be the godawful PPL, so this article is warranted, to be honest. I remember seeing even Javabeans (creator of Dramabeans) tweet about not buying anything from the show due to the sheer ludicrousness of the ads. That’s how you know how serious it is. LOL.

    Gentle Monster was definitely the most subtle CF in the show but even then they focused prominently on it during the arcade shooting scene, where of a sudden she could shoot well after having a tough time doing so earlier at an actual shooting range??? And with dark sunglasses????? And for a cop like TE to even afford those…….yeah it just doesn’t make sense on any level.

  9. After watching Be Melodramatic, I’ve become more sympathetic to PPL. I just think of a real life version of the character, Han-joo. One of her big responsibilities is to get PDs to insert the PPLs her company contracted into the dramas. And it was a struggle because the PDs and actors wouldn’t want to do it or they would forget to do it and then you would need to beg them to insert it in an odd spot. So now I think of those poor stressed out assistants.

    I think with good planning and communication between writer, PD, and production company, they could have worked the PPLs in better.

  10. Sadly for u all products r being sold out. Do ur research. U r too broke to afford those masks anyways

  11. Ha this is hilarious and I’m actually enjoying this drama (even got my mom watching) while I’ve been stuck on the 5th episode of Goblin for 2 years even as much as I love Gong Yoo. Just glad to have something I can watch and enjoy in addition to Hospital Playlist!

    • Hospital Playlist is on another level of fun and it’s beautifully written that it feels you’re watching a reality show (a good one) about Doctors and how they are human too, i’m surprised it’s not talked about much here. I don’t understand koala also, I mean if you don’t like a show just drop it, there are other people that are actually a fan of the show (a lot actually but I’m not part of them unfortunately), it won’t do any good if they all have to come here to defend the show everytime and then it leads to insults and arguments as it has been the last few days. Look, I get it is her blog and I understand she can post anything she wants, I just feel the blog has always been mature but these days it’s been far from it (no offense meant).. YOU DON’T LIKE THE SHOW? JUST DROP IT but I guess the clicks are important too.

      • Quite agree about Hospital Playlist and the lack of any coverage whatsoever on this blog. The only thing keeping me sane in these crazy times

  12. why is sbs and netflix wasting money on dramas like vagabond and tkem when they could get more drama like fiery priest. they shud learn from dere mistakes and cable tv like jtbc but i guess the heads dont hv much gud vision left , better change the person who is choosing them for sbs or just get won bin and park shin hye if such lousy scripts need to b displayed on sbs

  13. I hear that the georgia bottled coffee is the worst tasting coffee ever!.
    Well this is the first time ever in a K drama that i became interested in a PPL. The monster sunglasses…. i even ordered for one. So i guess they got me this time.
    Now am also kinda interested in owning an Aston Martin in the near future. Way to go! PPL works to an extent

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