Members of Migak Boys, a fictional boy band from tvN's drama series "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier," appear in a music video for "My Flavor."TVN
Last Thursday, a very unusual group appeared on cable channel Mnet's weekly music program "M Countdown." Migak Boys, a fictional boy band from tvN's drama series "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier," took the stage, made up of five actors who each play a role in the drama series.
During the real-life music program, they performed "My Flavor" — a song from the series that protagonist Kang Seong-jae (played by actor Park Ji-hoon) sings inside his head after tasting his own well-made arancini — as the five members of Migak Boys. The video of their performance surpassed 1.35 million views on YouTube within a week of its release.
In the current cross-platfrom world, it's not just a make-believe military band from a TV drama appearing on a real music show stage. Actors perform songs from films and participate in short-form video challenges all the time. And fan voting in the real world determines the fate of fictional idol units.
Visitors taste food inspired by tvN's drama series "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier" at Korean Cultural Centre UK in London on May 28.CJ ENM
Today's content is no longer confined to the boundaries of the medium it appears in. Instead, it is expanding into reality and encouraging deeper audience immersion through what industry observers call “frame-within-a-frame consumption,” a marketing strategy that is rapidly gaining traction.
"The Legend of Kitchen Soldier" is the most telling example. It's more than just the Mnet appearance. Even the food featured in the drama has been brought into the real world. A reception during a special screening hosted by theKorean Cultural Centre UK in London last month featured dishes inspired by menu items from the series. Merchandise based on props from the drama is also being sold through crowdfunding platform Wadiz.
The movie “Wild Sing” has adopted a similar strategy. The music video for “I Like You,” performed by Choi Seong-gon (Oh Jung-se), a has-been celebrity in the film, accumulated 2.5 million views since being released on YouTube on June 2. The video is actually the full-length version of a music video that appears only briefly in the film.
A sign celebrating fictional singer Choi Seong-gon from the movie "Wild Thing" is shown in an undated photo.CHOI MIN-JI
An online “I Like You” challenge has also gained momentum, where participants mimic Oh’s performance by singing the song while firing finger-heart “love bullets” or making exaggerated romantic expressions.
On June 13, cinemas even celebrated the fictional singer's birthday. Choi Seong-gon events took place at major Seoul theaters including Lotte Cinema World Tower, Megabox Coex and CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall. Tickets sold out and fans filled the theaters carrying homemade banners.
Real flesh-and-blood K-pop artists have also taken notice, and are also getting in on the “content within content” trend.
From left: Sooyoung, Hyoyeon and Yuri of girl group Girl's Generation, who together formed the fictional girl group "Hyorisoo" for a YouTube mockumentary series as part of the group's 20th anniversary.JOONGANG ILBO
Girls’ Generation began a series of mockumentary pieces on YouTube channel earlier this year, as the group approaches its 20th anniversary this year. The videos revolve around members Hyoyeon, Yuri and Sooyoung forming a fictional unit group called Hyorisoo as part of the group’s 20th anniversary celebrations.
The members playfully compete for the position of main vocalist, intentionally singing off-key and embracing self-deprecating humor. Fans join in through an actual online vote to select the winner, with vote attracting more than 118,000 likes.
Industry observers view the phenomenon as a survival strategy in an era of content saturation.
With countless dramas, films and entertainment programs released every week, it has become increasingly difficult for a production to sustain public attention based solely on the quality of the work itself.
“The broadcasting-centered system, in which securing a specific time slot was crucial, has shifted to a streaming-based competitive environment where content can be replayed endlessly, which actually makes promotional marketing even more intense,” said Park Ki-soo, a professor of cultural content at Hanyang University.
“Companies extend the lifespan of well-known intellectual property [IP] by producing additional seasons, content-related challenges, behind-the-scenes videos and offline experiential events," continued Prof. Park. By breaking content into smaller components and reproducing them in various forms, they extend the life cycle of IP and generate added value.”
Fictional character Choi Seong-gon from the movie "Wild Thing," played by actor Oh Jung-se, poses for a photograph with fans during a birthday party.CHOI MIN-JI
The trend has been further strengthened by the rise of short-form platforms and the emergence of prosumers — consumers who simultaneously act as producers.
“The music show appearance in ‘The Legend of Kitchen Soldier’ and Choi Seong-gon’s birthday party from ‘Wild Thing’ were ideas developed in response to what audiences wanted,” critic Kim Sung-soo said. “As consumer influence continues to grow, second- and third-stage promotional marketing strategies built around specific characters or scenes will become even more common.”
Some experts, however, caution that maintaining the quality of the original content remains essential.
“There are many cases where promotional videos using parts of a work leave audiences disappointed because they feel disconnected from the actual content,” critic Ha Jae-geun argued. “A marketing campaign can only be considered successful when the original work possesses artistic quality that exceeds the buzz generated by its promotional activities.”
