Dramabeans » branded entertainment

Miracle Blue features denim and Shin Mina

javabeans — Fri, 22 May 2009 02:57:50 +0000

Actress Shin Mina (The Naked Kitchen) has come out with her “project music video” and song collaboration with rock band Loveholics (watch/listen below).

The song is called “Miracle Blue” and features Shin Mina’s pretty, airy vocals (again, not the strongest singer, but they suit the feel of the music). The video was also made in conjunction with Calvin Klein jeans, which feature prominently in what I suppose we can call a branded MV — Shin walks around in different settings and occupations wearing various jean styles.

Meanwhile, Loveholics is planning on releasing their full-length album (their first after parting ways with Jisun) in August.

Via Now News

SONG OF THE DAY

Loveholics feat. Shin Mina – “Miracle Blue” [ Download ]

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Post tags: branded entertainment, Loveholic, music videos, Shin Mina

Shin Mina sings with Loveholics

javabeans — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:21:19 +0000

Actress Shin Mina (Naked Kitchen, Devil) will be lending her vocals as guest singer with rock band Loveholic — or, as they’re known now, Loveholics.

Lead singer Jisun left the band to go solo two years ago, and the remaining two groupmates Lee Jae-hak and Kang Hyun-min have chosen to feature a rotating door of guest vocalists (Alex, Horan, Whale) rather than sticking with one fixed replacement. They’ve used the slightly altered moniker “Loveholics” for those collaborations, and released their first digital single “Butterfly” last December. For their second, they’re working with Shin Mina.

She isn’t wholly inexperienced as a singer, and last year recorded a song with Toy that was featured in the branded entertainment project Summer Days (listen below). That also starred Hyun Bin and Ryu Seung-beom and was touted as a “crossover film” — but you can just consider it an elaborate commercial. She also participated on the soundtracks to her films Go Go 70 and The Naked Kitchen.

Shin’s new single with Loveholics is titled “Miracle Blue” [미라클 블루], and she’ll appear in the music video as well. However, it’s not a straight music video — it sounds like more branded entertainment, as it also features Calvin Klein (for which she is brand model). Her management explains that this is a new project that “brings music together with fashion.”

I don’t think she’s particularly strong as a vocalist, but it seems like her voice really isn’t the focus of this venture, is it? (I miss Loveholic + Jisun.)

Via My Daily

SONG OF THE DAY

Toy & Shin Mina – “즐거운 나의 하루” (My Happy Day). This song is from the “crossover film” Summer Days. [ Download ]

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© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 19 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: branded entertainment, Loveholic, Shin Mina, singers

Lee Min-ho to release a digital single

javabeans — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 01:33:40 +0000

Huh. Boys Before Flowers star Lee Min-ho is pairing with well-known songwriter Park Geun-tae to release a digital single. A “famous female rapper” is also reportedly featured on the track.

Guess he’s not about to let his co-star Gu Hye-sun have all the fun packing her resumé with other activities. Not only will a single be sold, an accompanying music video will be shot (it’s still being cast, but the director has been selected).

(...)
Read the rest of Lee Min-ho to release a digital single (258 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 87 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: branded entertainment, CFs, Lee Min-ho

Jang Geun-seok shows off his Toucholic rapping

javabeans — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:00:49 +0000

Remember Jang Geun-seok’s “music drama” “Yepptic & Haptic Love,” for which he sings (and raps) the theme song “Toucholic”? What is essentially a glorified music-video-slash-ad has been released — and, well, it’s pretty hilarious (unintentionally, sure, but still hilarious).

The story features a touch-phobic young man who comes into contact with a young woman and is, like, changed 4evah.

In my opinion, the song on its own (I heard it before seeing the video) kind of bites the big one. In conjunction with the video, however, it takes on a cheesetastic, campy appeal.

SONG OF THE DAY

Jang Geun-seok – “Toucholic” [ Download ]

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Post tags: branded entertainment, Jang Geun-seok, music videos, so bad it's good, star extracurricular activities

A Salad Song duet

javabeans — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:10:49 +0000

You’ve heard Lee Dong-gun sing (songs here and here), and you’ve seen Yoon Eun-hye’s latest CF video clip. Now they sing together.

The “Salad Song” (taken from Humming Urban Stereo’s “샐러드 기념일” [Salad days], which you can download at the link above) now reveals its full version, which features both actor-singers in a duet. Yoon and Lee are shown in recording sessions in the studio, interspersed with clips of Yoon Eun-hye eating fresh fruit and spraying herself (and plants) with water. (Because, lest we forget, we’re still selling something!)

Via Hankyung

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Post tags: branded entertainment, CFs, Lee Dong-gun, music videos, Yoon Eun-hye

Summer Days “crosses over” into more branded entertainment

javabeans — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:56:10 +0000

Yeah, I knew that would get your attention. (The photo, I mean.)

Cast and crew gathered on July 15 for the press conference and screening of Summer Days. They’re calling this one a “crossover” film, but it’s not so much a film as it is yet more branded entertainment. They’re starting the branding with the description itself, calling it an “XNOTE crossover film,” XNOTE being a laptop put out by LG Electronics.

As I’ve mentioned before (regarding Anycall’s music videos, Anyband’s project group, Jang Geun-seok’s hair-product music video, and So Ji-sub’s cable-TV commercial), Korea’s got a way with branded entertainment. Western entertainment may produce engaging commercials, but they’re still always commercials first and foremost. Product placement is rampant and increasing everywhere (a friend who works on a U.S. television show tells me the writers routinely get notes from the studio about writing storylines around whichever cell phone they’ve got contracts with), but this kind of elaborate branding is something Korea’s integrated much more thoroughly (dare I say insidiously?).

Summer Days, for instance, is touted as ad campaign, short film, drama and music video all rolled into one, to unfold in seven episodes (each approx 4 minutes long; total running time is 30 minutes). They’ve brought on CF director Jo Won-seok and hired music director Yoo Hee-yeol, aka the singer-songwriter also recording under the name Toy. On top of that, we have three name actors, Hyun Bin, Shin Mina, and Ryu Seung-beom, acting out this adver-story about “love, friendship and conflict.”

In the “plot,” Ryu Seung-beom plays a “cheerful programmer,” Hyun Bin is an elegant architect, and Shin Mina takes on the role of a stylish film columnist. The first episode is titled “Morning After the Rain” and the second “The First Day of Summer” (wherein the three characters meet, unfolding like a short film). The third is called “A Day with Loud Cicadas” (featuring the notebook in a commercial-like format), and the fourth titled “A Day the Summer Breeze Blows” (a travel-themed music-video-like segment featuring a Yoo Hee-yeol song, “My Happy Day,” sung by Shin Mina). The fifth episode, “Tropical Night,” features the split between the three characters; the sixth is “Summer Night, Summer Day,” leading into the last segment, “The Day Before Autumn Starts.”

I’ve got mixed feelings about branded entertainment, but I guess everything’s selling something these days. So long as the product is entertaining (and honest about being quasi-advertisement), I suppose there’s no harm done. At least some of it produces (unintended) hilarity, like seeing Jang Geun-seok grooving along to pimp hair gel.

The LG XNOTE campaign launches mid-August via the Internet, broadcast television, cable TV, in theaters and in stores.

Via Consumer News, Arts News

Yoo Hee-yoel / Toy – “프랑지파니” (Frangipani, aka plumeria) [ Download ]

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© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2008. | Permalink | 23 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: branded entertainment, CFs, Hyun Bin, Ryu Seung-beom, Shin Mina

So Ji Sub’s U-Turn

javabeans — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:10:53 +0000

So Ji Sub makes his acting comeback in writer-director Jang Jin’s (Welcome to Dongmakgol, My Son) television debut project, U-Turn.

The four-part “special movie” aired its first episode on the 1st on cable channel OCN to favorable viewer response, and before the third episode aired on the 15th it enjoyed a sharp jump in repeat viewings. Although the Jang Jin and So Ji Sub combination could be expected to draw some amount of attention, the response has surprised even the broadcasters: “We didn’t expect the interest to be this high.”

As a result, songs from the movie are also enjoying rising popularity, such as a new track “Only You” from Go Yu Jin (of rock band Flower) and Wheesung’s “Love Seat” (posted below). The movie also integrates product-placement advertising, thus inciting further interest in commercial circles.

The plot is described as revolving around a “fateful” couple and their unfolding love story; So Ji Sub’s love interest is played by Lee Yeon Hee.

Via Joy News

SONG OF THE DAY

Wheesung featuring Humming Urban Stereo – “Love Seat” [ Download ]

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© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2008. | Permalink | 47 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: branded entertainment, Lee Yeon-hee, So Ji-sub