Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Hater Depot]

Too many white faces in Korean ads? Yep, says one Munhwa Ilbo reader.

http://koreabeat.wordpress.com/2007/05/21/too-many-foreign-models/

[Bibbitybop]

It's called marketing. It's called freedom to do business and make money.

If they you don't like a product's ad, don't support the product. I no longer buy Sunkist drinks, and will also buy other brands in other countries, due to their mind-corroding ads in Korea.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Classic signs of a sound, klogical mind. I suppose it doesn't occur to her once to ask why Korean women would rather look at fashion ads of scantily clad Russian teenagers than their peers?

[cdninkorea]

I see his/her point- I always thought it strange that so many advertisements have foreign models on them.
Maybe Koreans firms should use more Korean models (although they do still use a lot of them), but I'm wary of what s/he meant by "...how about deciding on a fixed ceiling above which no more foreign models can be used in advertisements and so on?"
Does s/he mean the government should restrict the number of foreign models? The whole point of liberty is deciding for yourself what constitutes the good, and living by the consequences (good or bad).

Maybe s/he didn't mean anything like that- maybe s/he just means firms should limit the number they use. If he did mean government intervention though, then that's what I have a real issue with.
You don't like Korean products using foreign models? Write letters. Vote with your wallet.

[seoulsucker]

So let me get this straight...

Some Korean men get upset about foreign men coming and stealing their women, and now the women are upset about foreign women stealing ther modeling gigs?

This sounds like a country ripe for globalization, all right.

Foreign models are used all over the world to hawk products. It is somehow designed to give a brand the exotic air of sophistication. How many US commercials use British voice actors to give this effect?

I'm all for foreign models. Especially the ones who soak their panties over a cheap bottle of champagne at Spy club in Itaewon.

[cerulean808]

bibbitybop

[Bibbitybop]

[pdx]

How about they take Gwyneth Paltrow off the Beanpole ads- then they can stop pretending Beanpole is a product from England.

[pest2]

Yeah, I've noticed, too, that it seems out of place to have so many foreign actors in an otherwise homogeneous place like Korea. I dont mean to say it should be out of place. It's just surprising.

Such a situation would not stand out in nearly any other country because most other countries' populations contain a mix of ethnicities. But when you walk down the street in Korea, anyone who does not look Korean simply stands out as 'different'. So the same rule holds true with ads, I suppose.. we spend an entire day walking around the city in Korea and see like 2 non-Korean-looking people out of 1 million.. and then we come home and turn on the TV and expect to see 1 foreign person out of 1 million... but instead, almost half of the ads for major companies are using foreigners.

As far as justice on the issue goes... well, there must be some reason the companies are doing this. Namely, it sells more of thier product. And if people are buying more of the product, they do so because they have a positive reaction to the ad. Some Koreans must find it glamorous to be seen as an exotic European wearing a new fur, otherwise the ads wouldnt portray them as such. So, the people who are most affected by the ads -- the buyers -- are getting exactly what they asked for.

Its inevitable that as Korea goes from being a closed, homogeneous place to an open, international, heterogeneous one, we're going to see this kind of conflict taking place in the public scope.. and THAT, unlike the reaction you get when you see those ads, is not surprising.

[denistron]

Yes! Why do so many commercials use white (or foreign skinned) faces, for example: the capital prime loan commercial, The Epson printer commercial, the Sky cell phone commercials, that bank commercial with the football guy. It goes on and on. I asked people about this and I can't get a straight answer.
Isn't it similar in a way that the Korean language has adopted so many English words into their culture (with often incorrect usage). Something about using an international language (or face) is used to give a product credibility.

[Kyrei]

[denistron]

Let's make a list of all the commercials that use foreigners!
GO!

[Chillin' Villain]

[peachgaru]

How do foreigners go about getting into the modeling business here? I modeled when I was younger, thinner, and more fastidious concerning my looks. Would like to jump in again if I lose some more weight seeing as the money is prolly better than an hour at the hagwon. Plus I heard that they have lower standards for foreigners as far as looks are concerned. ^^

[denistron]

Damn girl, you are fine