random thought but I don’t think those shoes are PPL. There’s no branding shown onscreen, they’re identifiable only by the huge buckle (a RV signature) and no shots of a label or box. Not bad, QOT!

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    PPL is now done more subtly than before. The Subway sandwiches are naturally blended in the outdoor bite scene of the lawyer trio in QoT Ep 11.

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    I think the combination of budget and actors meant they could be picky about what they are willing to do for PPL. There is no branding shown for the Bulgari jewelry, and The Subway PPL is notable becasue we have the branding, but none of those cliched phrases about how tasty it is, or how you can choose your fillings.
    Kim Soo Hyun has a lot of commercial contracts doesn’t he? I imagine that just getting him to eat a sandwich on screen costs a lot. I’m sure those shoes paid a placement fee.

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      the PPL is definitely not as jarring as Goblin or Signal-era Subway, but the Roger Vivier shoes strike me as very possibly not-PPL because the script actually makes a point of how they’re not Hae-in’s usual style, were on sale etc.

      I mean, even Bulgari gets its branded necklace box shown onscreen when Hae-in is dressing up but the shoes practically got called ugly and cheap (albeit by the villain, the drama makes a point of presenting them as cute and modern) which is a rather unusual way to approach PPL but I appreciate it!

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        The comments about the shoes are for those in the back who didnโ€™t pay attention to them. Cars are rarely mentioned in dramas but we see the dashboard, interior and lots of angles of the exteriors. Mercedes are all over in this show, we even hear the distinct growl of the sports car. Some brands donโ€™t need to be boxed or mentioned explicitly they speak for themselves. I bet the clothes, even secretary Naโ€™s 2 sec screen shot of her especially bought formal dress for work are all sold out the day the episode airs.

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          to be fair, when it comes to cars it’s impossible to avoid because there’s no car that comes without its logo on the front (I remember older kdramas actually blurring car grills because presumably those weren’t paid for) so they may as well take advantage of it. Whoever ran PPL on this drama has mostly been doing a really good job – Mercedes, Bulgari etc are brands that rich people would actually wear and use irl.

          that said, re: clothes, Queen of Tears was shot over 2023 and delayed from its intended air date – if any of the clothes used onscreen were part of a seasonal collection (which is most of her outfits) they’re probably not available to buy any more but anything in a permanent collection like the Serpenti jewellery, is certainly going to see a lot more interest now.

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    Definitely PPL. Kdramas have for ever had ppl with no branding shown. The branding then goes around by word of mouth and social media.
    Showing the branding and long shot scenes only shows the brand and/or the production agreed on a lot bigger figure.

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    Also it is a kind of treasure hunt – iykyk or else you ask. Win-win for the brand.

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      it’s actually the smarter way to approach product placement, if you ask me. Doesn’t irritate viewers, product still gets its airtime but in a way that fits in to the story rather than sticking out – wish more kdramas followed that way of doing things.

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      The shoes had a prime shot with KSH holding both of them and presenting them. And then a shot of her wearing them. And Then a new shot of KSH putting them on her feet in Europe (And was that a different episode? I think so) And THEN they just happen to show up as an advertisement in Elle just coincidentally right when the episodes are airing…
      That’s too much to be coincidental.
      (Also, just think of the marketing effort behind that- Its probably a newly released shoe, which means that they would have had sample prototypes for filming. And then the ad would have been booked when they knew the broadcast schedule, 6? months ago.)

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        Wow! That really puts things in perspective. Thanks. Indeed the behind-the-scenes work would have been incredibly hard.

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          Also, I expect that the PPL fee does not get paid to the production company until the drama is broadcast, and not unless its broadcast in a reasonable time frame. Problems with the actors and it’s delayed, less or no money. They will be going to the advertisers with in-principle agreements about airing dates already in hand.
          (Though at least wardrobe gets to use the shoes whatever happens)

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        to be clear – the image I posted of the show is from the March 2023 issue of Elle i.e. from one year ago (it’s my copy) so it’s not a newly released shoe as of QOT airing date.

        It does however appear to be part of Roger Vivier’s permanent sneaker selection since it’s still visible on their website and currently available on Net-a-Porter, but if it was PPL – which is now likely – they were really smart about it, getting in shots with both leads holding/wearing the shoes in multiple episodes and in-drama dialogue drawing attention to them was a 10/10 marketing move by someone who saw a big picture beyond ‘show the name of the brand’.

        I thought Bulgari did well at that with their wedding rings but along came episode 12 and we’re back to the old PPL playbook lol

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          Integrating PPL in the storyline is definitely a skill set not known to many. 😂

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          If its not a new release/recent ad, then there is more chance of actual coincidence/not PPL.
          I think its PPL, (but I have been wrong before)
          It’s more likely coincidence/not PPL if we saw evidence of empty marketing slots/ inability to attract PPL/ fake brands in the show. And I don’t think we have seen that at all. They are not going to give someone that much promotion for free when they have lots of people willing to pay.

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            Well Hyun-woo’s car is a Mercedes – we see the logo. His coat is Burberry, we see the distinctive lining when Hae-in hands over his coat and Eun-blah’s grey jumper is Thom Browne and we get lingering shots of his back to see the distinctive tag. All is is just from Episode 12. So the marketing team has indeed been busy wining and dining a lot of brands, even if Eun-want–to-have-dinner was left hungry also hangry!?

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            The only ‘fake brand’ I can pinpoint here is Hae-in’s beloved Hercyna, which seems to be the QOT-universe version of Hermรจs.

            which I can see the necessity for, as I doubt Hermรจs would ever have agreed to be prominently featured in a storyline where the heroine blackmails their president over an extramarital affair to get them into her department store lol.

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            @seeker lol he can Eun-starve for all I care but he does have nice outfits

            Clothes are a bit of an unclear PPL area but the drama’s been smart with them in that all of the brands (obvious or not) are ones rich people would believably wear and not TOO obviously logoed. Like Hyun-woo’s coat lining and the TB in ep 12 and Hae-in’s full-look Dior princess outfit (complete with logoed belt) in ep 1 when she takes that helicopter to get her prince out of his pear orchard.

            But 12 is the episode when they really kicked it up with the PPL, I couldn’t help but notice.

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            ^^ True there are a ton of “real” brands discreetly placed in there.

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            I’ll be happy when he goes from Eun-starve to Eun-dead-as-a-doornail so that uri Park Sung-hoon ♥ can be reborn as a beloved swoony ML. 🤣

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            I am now liking this iykyk brand treasure hunt. It keeps one occupied throughout the week! 😊

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            I didn’t recognise any of the clothing brands in the show. ๐Ÿ™‚ I know the names, but I never would have been able to tell a Burberry coat from the lining, or a Thom Browne jumper. (It is fun to read about, thanks) I’m really not the audience those brands are aimed at.
            I do recognise Mercedes though.

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            I’m just treating it as a sort of a drama fun game! The reason I recognize most brands is because many years ago I used to do some work for a high-end shopping mall chain.

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