Commercials - USA vs Korea

My background is journalism, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I see commercials for much more than just an advertisement for a product. What most people don't realize is that television shows started out as filler between commercials - at least that's what they say in the advertising world. Commercials pay for television, so it is imperative to produce a commercial that will get many people interested in a product. The more people interested in a product, the higher the sales, and the more financial sponsorship for the television shows they are aired between. I'm sure you've all heard the tag line, "This episode of (fill in the blank) is brought to you by..." Though it's been updated, it's not just a genius line someone came up with - it actually means the show is sponsored by the company that makes the product you are about to see advertised. Over the years, the money trail has been smudged, but the same concept still applies.

Commercials are also windows into our world. They allow outsiders to see what is popular - or what companies want us to think is popular - in a region or country. They have the power to change our habits. If we let them, they can change the image we have of ourselves. Though short and with no credits, many are produced by big-name production companies and display the latest state-of-the-art video and graphic effects. All of this is in addition to the actual marketing of the product by choosing a big-name celebrity or beautiful model to tell us about the product and showcasing it in a carefully selected and planned set with the perfect script, music, narrator voice, font color and phone number acronym. Let's not forget those commercials that evolve in themselves with a series of commercials for the same product that keep revealing something new over a period of time.

In the USA, the most popular time to see the newest and (hopefully) best commercials is during the Superbowl. Commercial spots in the 2011 Superbowl cost upwards of $2.5 million. Starting at just a few hundred dollars in 1967, that is a huge increase over the last 44 years, with the largest increase taking place from 2000 to 2001 when prices increased roughly $1 million dollars from one year to the next. (They dropped slightly the following year, but were steadily on the rise until the recession hit the USA in 2008.) Because I now live in Korea and plan to be here for several years, I would like to discover the broadcasting highlights when commercials are taken most seriously by advertising companies, or if that sort of thing even exists here.

I have noticed that television programming in Korea is similar to that in the USA. Prime time generally runs from 7-11pm for news and drama shows, and 9pm-midnight for shows geared towards adults. Big-name foreign movies and television shows are broadcast during those times, as well.

So far, I've only noticed one major difference in Korean television commercials, and that is the placement of spots. The USA has television shows, movies, etc. scheduled at specific times. For example, my favorite show, NCIS, airs on CBS Tuesdays at 8pm EST. The show starts promptly at 8pm and ends at 8:59-and-seconds so the next show can start promptly at 9pm. Each episode is roughly 42 minutes long, and there are roughly four commercial breaks scattered throughout the show at allotted intervals, each running roughly the same length.

In Korea, things are a bit different. Maybe it is that I cannot understand the announcers, but shows never seem to start at the same time. Sure, NCIS will probably be on OCN sometime around 10pm, but I can guarantee it won't start at exactly 10pm every single time it airs. Also, there are fewer commercial breaks scattered throughout the broadcast, leaving a need to air all of those needed commercials at some point during the broadcast. Why not group them all together, place them directly in the middle of the broadcast, and air them all at the same time? Genius! That's exactly what happens. Any other commercial breaks during the broadcast only have two or three commercials and get the viewer back to the show quickly. The main lot of commercials, however, is aired during the middle of the show or movie for anywhere from 10 minutes in television shows to 30 minutes in movies. It is possible that the reasoning behind this is that it's a good time for a food or bathroom break. However, that would defeat the purpose of airing the commercials at all - if no one is watching, advertising numbers go down. I would love to find the true programming method behind this, but further investigation and research is greatly hindered because I do not speak the native language.

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Although I have been unsuccessful in finding videos of my favorite USA and Korean commercials, I would still like to share a brief description of each. 

My favorite USA commercial by far is the Halloween Kit Kat commercial featuring Frankenstein and a little girl by a lake. The girl is picking flowers and singing, "Flowers, flowers," when Frankenstein innocently walks up to her with a Kit Kat bar. The little girl says, "If you have two of something, you should share one." Frankenstein rips off one of his arms, hands it to her and walks away. The little girl is horrified, standing there holding an arm.

My favorite Korean commercial so far is one that I think is advertising a way to obtain your Green Card in a foreign country. It could also be advertising a discount card you carry in your wallet that you can present for discounts at eco-friendly 'green' businesses. I honestly have no idea. The commercial opens with a shot of a Korean citizen on a subway or city bus being interviewed by an off-camera crew. You can see the microphone and lighting gear if you look closely. The person answers, and then video cuts to a shot of a baby seal asking a question. Cut back to the person to reveal a look of utter confusion and shock that they are being interviewed by a baby seal. The only graphics I can read or understand on the end character screen are 'green card' and the phone number.