This blog post examines the effects and side effects of indirect advertising within modern media, along with wise ways for viewers to respond.
Today’s viewers are constantly exposed to product placement without realizing it, living in an environment saturated with advertising. The development of digital media has given us access to ads through diverse channels, and product placement, in particular, has expanded its reach significantly. Direct advertising airs before and after broadcast programs. In contrast, product placement (PPL) is an advertising format that places products within programs to achieve promotional effects. Recently, indirect advertising is being used extensively not only in broadcast programs but also in web dramas, YouTube content, and more, increasing its influence daily.
Compared to direct advertising, indirect advertising makes it relatively harder for viewers to avoid ads using the remote control, increasing the likelihood of exposure. This exerts a particularly strong influence on younger generations, who unknowingly form positive perceptions of the products. Advertisers aim to increase product awareness and spread favorable attitudes toward the product through advertising. To achieve these advertising effects, product placement utilizes mainstream placement and peripheral placement. Mainstream placement involves the performer using or wearing the product, or mentioning it through dialogue. Peripheral placement exposes the product through the background within the screen. Viewers pay more attention to mainstream placement than peripheral placement. Furthermore, when products placed through product placement are used naturally and fit well within the program’s context, the advertising effect on the work increases; this is called the contextual effect.
The contextual effect of product placement is a crucial factor for both program producers and advertisers. Advertisers can naturally expose products through product placement, and viewers accept it as part of the program, resulting in less resistance. Conversely, program producers must carefully consider how to insert product placement without harming the work’s integrity. This process demands creative direction, and sometimes, appropriately placing the advertised product within the program’s storyline can be a significant challenge.
Since the mid-1990s, Korea has operated a sponsorship system permitting only extremely limited forms of indirect advertising. Under this system, program producers received and utilized expenses, goods, personnel, and locations provided by sponsoring companies. It allowed sponsorship announcements informing viewers of the sponsoring company at the end of the broadcast program. However, showing product names or brand logos during program content, or having cast members mention them to create advertising effects, was prohibited by law. This is why the brand labels on sponsored clothing are often obscured.
Korea maintained the sponsorship system while adding new provisions, implemented starting in 2010. These provisions allowed indirect advertising under the Broadcasting Act, responding to demands from advertisers and broadcasters. The reason for introducing the indirect advertising system was to relax legal restrictions on advertising within programs, aiming to revitalize the broadcast advertising industry. This allowed the display of product names or company names within programs. However, to protect viewers’ rights, mentioning product names or company names, or encouraging purchase or use, was prohibited. Furthermore, due to the significant influence broadcasts have on the public, indirect advertising was banned in programs requiring objectivity and fairness, such as news, current affairs, and discussion programs.
Nevertheless, critics of the indirect advertising system existed. They argued that indirect advertising led to longer ad exposure times and frequent forced product placements that were disconnected from the program’s context, thereby lowering program quality. This criticism stemmed from the concern that indirect advertising could disrupt the program’s flow and cause unnecessary confusion for viewers. Particularly, when overly commercial elements are emphasized, there is a risk that the program’s original purpose could be undermined.
To appropriately respond to such indirect advertising, which subtly infiltrates viewers’ perceptions, viewers are required to engage in active interpretation of indirect advertising. According to media theorists, people possess their own personal frames through which they can actively interpret external information; they do not merely passively receive media content. This active interpretation serves as a crucial means to limit the effectiveness of product placement, highlighting the need for media education that analyzes and critically evaluates such advertising.
Ultimately, while product placement has become an inevitable phenomenon in the modern media environment, discussions about its influence and side effects must continue. Viewers need to develop the ability to critically engage with media content, while advertisers and producers require a careful approach to ensure such advertising provides viewers with positive experiences. When this balance is achieved, product placement can establish itself as a more effective and acceptable form.
