I think drama and movie successes are just the appetizers for stars to rake in the endorsement deals where the real bucks are made. It makes sense as ultimately entertainment is a commodity and viewers are also customers on the other end. This year in 2023 the male K-actor with the most endorsement deals is Kim Soo Hyun with 15, he’s been top in many a year and while his last two dramas have not been breakout hits as his prior ones next year he has the high profile The Queen of Tears lined up for more mainstream appeal. Second in deal making is Park Seo Joon with 13 endorsements, he remains consistently on top after Itaewon Class and also has major overseas appeal especially in Japan. And third place is a tie between Song Kang and Lee Min Ho who each have 10 endorsements, the former a surprise dark horse IMO in how many brands wants him but the latter also consistently one of the top CF kings in South Korea.
Song Joong Ki ? 2 hits Vincenzo and Reborn Rich , Nam Goong Min or Lee Jun Ki attracts ratings even if some the dramas weren’t good . Ratings aren’t enough anymore .
Reborn Rich is not yet. For sure, he will gain new CFs after the drama ended. However, I agree that ratings are not anymore the sole measurement of success. OTT popularity is now one of the factors to look at.
This list is quite consistent specially with all of their good reps and the fact that none of the younger actors have really broken out – minus Song Kang who honestly is a huge surprise to me. I was really expecting Ahn Hyo Seop instead. He’s had some really popular, main stream dramas. They weren’t all huge ratings hit but frankly, ratings don’t matter as much as they used to nowadays.
He is supposed to be Sun-Oh in Love Alarm, but he turned down the offer and it went to Song Kang. Imagine what level of popularity AHS will achieve if he accepted that project.
I remember what lidya1 saying about Sjk.He’s in weir position because his divorce he taken toll on his public image for sure.Vicenzo did very well enough not to level to pull him up back up but not to the levels of post Dots lol lol.Also there is article park seo joon number 1 choise in industry. Sjk despite flop artdhal chronicle didnt stop him get big budget drama like vicenzo 20b won and reborn rich 35b won.
This list is another proof that CFs aren’t a flex some fans think they are lol. How many CFs one actor/actress has isn’t really a good indicator on how much of a big star he/she is.
By the way, this comment IS NOT a diss on Kim Soo Hyun, we all know he’s undeniably a top A-Lister with or without CFs. My point is that Song Kang isn’t necessarily a bigger star than, say, Song Joong Ki just because he has more CFs. Plenty of undisputable A-Listers are just more low-key and don’t like being known for CFs
The Song Kang and Lee Minho contrast is the New Media Vs Old Media kind of difference. For Kang all his dramas were hits but online. Love Alarm, Sweet Home and Nevertheless were massive on Netflix so it’s not surprising that he’s the IT boy of the industry at present. While Minho is the eternal Hallyu King with ratings to support his superstardom. For the new gen of Hallyu ratings will no longer be a factor to their popularity. They are the OTT generation whose popularity derived from Instagram followers and Twitter trends. Things have changed a lot in the last 2 years and how “impact” is measured has been revised. Even companies that track ratings like Nielsen have said that their measurement system does not accurately capture the popularity of a drama because it doesn’t count online views.
This. Say it louder for the ratings-obsessed people at the back lmao
i can’t be the only one who thought lee min ho was standing next to a giant salt and pepper shaker.
I know it’s a good source of income but at this point they’re more model than actors. They should rather choose one or two very big brands for money and their image.
I still don’t get the hype over Song Kang.
Neither, there are plenty of very good looking actors . With sometimes better acting . But as someone said in a comment what matters now are the followers . Popularity doesn’t last forever so the much they can get the better for them .
The impressive thing about Song Kang’s endorsements are that most of them are luxury or high end global brands brands like Prada, Cartier, Bobbi Brown, Guess. Even the Korean brands he endorses are extremely popular brands like Gong Cha and that popular ginseng snack which is in every Kdrama. He’s never endorsed any brand that isn’t super popular. He even endorses Bench which is a massively popular brand in Philippines. It’s really impressive how he’s managed to only attract big name endorsements. It’s not just the number of endorsements that matters but even the quality of those endorsements. Every single brand he endorses is A-list which is insane. I understand his hype because PDs love him. He keeps getting recommendations because of his hardworking nature rather than his good looks. He’s extremely humble and down to earth which what makes him extremely popular in South Korea. He also stays away from variety shows so there’s still an air of mystery despite the sheer volume of commercials and magazines he appears in.
For me Rowoon is a guy to watch
Wow kim soohyun with 15 cf. No wonder he’s the highest paid k actor for many years. He brings impact.
Compare to amount, I think quality is much more important. Though lee Minho has only 10 endorsements, there 3 luxury brand: LV, Fendi, Boss. His endorsements have highest quality
Well, what about Lee Dong Wook…and he has new work being released too.
About counting the number of endorsements, are all endorsements equal? Surely some endorsements have more value than others.