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Indonesian candy Kopiko steals scenes in K-dramas
Lim Ji-yeon, right, starring as Kang Dan-shim in "Bave New World" on SBS and Netflix, eats a Kopiko candy. Screen capture from Netflix
By Ko Dong-hwan
Indonesian candy brand Kopiko is stealing scenes in Korean TV and online streaming series. For years, viewers have watched characters in shows popping the sweet into their mouths, with the label prominently displayed.
It is not a coincidence: Macrocom, a Seoul-based importer, has paid for the candy's product placement in more than a dozen shows since 2021. It started with "Vincenzo" on tvN, continuing with "Castaway Diva" on the same network in 2023, "Connection" on SBS in 2024, and most recently, "Brave New World," which is currently airing on SBS and Netflix.
Macrocom and the brand’s manufacturer PT Mayora Indah Tbk, a major consumer goods company in Indonesia, began targeting the Korean dramas as a way to promote Kopiko. Their strategy for TV producers to show characters eating them to relieve stress and remark on its deliciousness.
Over the past four years of TV exposure, Kopiko has built up its brand recognition here, leading to a boost in sales. GS25, a major convenience store franchise brand, sold more than 200,000 packages in a month after it went on shelves in 2024 for 1,000 won ($0.65). Macrocom said frequent TV exposure led to increasing online searches for the brand and rising sales.
A Kopiko candy pack can be seen in a scene from "Vincenzo" on tvN. Screen capture from tvN
Macrocom’s focus on K-dramas reflects the benefits of paid product placement over conventional. While normal advertisements involve significant production and airtime costs and lasts only for a limited time period, product placement doesn't incur any production costs from the company and its exposure increases through reruns and playback on multiple channels. On streaming platforms, a show can be viewed on demand for years.
K-dramas’ global popularity also attracts product placements because the contents are available for massive worldwide audiences on platforms like Netflix, Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video. When K-contents’ global boom first spread to Indonesia and Southeast Asia, Macrocom launched the strategy to target consumers in the region. As K-dramas’ global markets expanded, so too did the advertising reach of Kopiko.
Industry experts speculate that popular K-dramas worldwide help because "viewers get interested not only in immersive storytelling, but in various lifestyle elements like fashion and foods shown in the series.”
“This makes K-dramas a popular and effective marketing tool for brands that want to connect with consumers naturally, without looking too much like a commercial advertisement,” one expert said.