How SUBWAY is Taking Over Korea

[@johnnyharris]

Hey thanks for watching! A couple things: I have a patreon where I share map backgrounds from videos as well as the actual scripts, you can find that here: www.patreon.com/johnnyharris I had custom presets & luts that I use to color my videos and photos. I developed them over a year with a professional colorist. In incase that’s interesting to you, here they are: store.dftba.com/collections/johnny-harris/products/johnny-iz-luts-and-presets Lastly, let me know if there is a video you’d like me to make, I’m always on the lookout for ideas and want to know what you’d like to see: www.johnnyharris.ch/submit-ideas

[@alantes]

They don't only love Subway - they also love natural blondes who look like you. Next time - trim the facial hair & give yourself that moviestar-airjet pilot hairstyle that you sport in your behind-the-desk videos. Koreans love all that. It's the land where physical beauty reigns supreme and you represent the epitome. Get into it. They'd worship you.

[@goldenvulture6818]

The title of this video meant to say "South Korea"

[@ΧρήστοςΓιαννακοβίτης]

I just want to point out how Johnny has actually started putting his sources in the description, good job Johnny

[@johnnyharris]

Ask and you shall receive 😅🙌

[@Isabelledttt]

i also immediately scrolled down before watching the video LOL. Great work Johnny!

[@thisismattcooper]

I also saw this so good

[@Al-tg7ok]

+1 for creators bettering themselves

[@Belioyt]

@@Isabelledttt I love your names, sorry for going off topic, you remind me Dot.

[@JohnHill]

I can’t believe you covered this 😂 every time I see a subway in a k drama I burst out laughing

[@Student0Toucher]

Merica🇺🇸🗽

[@joshuataylor3550]

Land of sandwich freedom

[@Smokesentertainment]

John Hill rocks love you're Chanel bro

[@ahmedshakil405]

I notice all the advertised products in those dramas and I be like: "that's there, that's a paid marketing."

[@GabGotti3]

Johnny was too scared to finish his series because of the huge amount of inconsistencies and fabrications he posted last time. So back to fast food 😂

[@seoulipsism]

As someone that lives in Korea, the reason that the brick and mortar stores of established American brands look so good has a lot to do with the fact that people do not really visit each other in their homes over here, because people live in so many different kinds of dwellings (houses (fairly new), apartments, one room or two room studios or villas (older apartment style dwellings, but only going up four storeys, dormitories or goshiwons (think of those tiny apartments in Hong Kong)). People therefore meet in Starbucks, Blue Bottle, Dunkin, Subway, etc. to socialise. BTW Johnny - did you try out the McFlurry at McDonald's in Korea? The ice cream machines are NEVER broken! haha

[@DefinitelySpirit]

LOL ill go to korea and have some mcflurries there!

[@maskedbrocclli5603]

There are modern looking subways in the us that look like the one he visited. There are a bunch of subways and some have renovated to look more modern while others haven’t yet/won’t.

[@GGLEEME]

And cafes. Cafe culture. Coffee shops. Bakeries.

[@kawaiidoggo]

I think the best rebrand is Baskin Robbins. In the states, it's just a store with really, really sweet ice cream and cakes that will definitely give you diabetes. I would have it once in awhile but I will never have ice cream in the store. It's not really a date location or hang out spot. In Korea, Baskin Robbins rebranded completely. Baskin Robbins Brown is one of those places where I can see myself going to and sit down and eat.

[@bananawitchcraft]

Typical East Asia, copying Western stuff in a way that actually turns out better than the original

[@MedlifeCrisis]

Korean dramas are wildly popular outside of Korea (especially in SE Asia) so this is a much bigger marketing move than you initially realise

[@akashpanchal8237]

But why are they popular??

[@vkshortss]

@@akashpanchal8237 Why is anything popular?

[@orkkojit]

Here in India, specifically Kolkata, there has been quite an increase in the number of Korean restaurant around the Park Street area with many Chinese restaurants here rebranding themselves to 'Korean' to cash into the KDrama and KPop fever.

[@EjaxPlus]

@@orkkojit in the online shopping platforms this has been a thing since like 2010. Most if not all China 'fashion' items have the word 'Korean' in it.

[@akashpanchal8237]

@@vkshortss Because of Marketing

[@nirmalmathew8844]

I'm very glad you added sources. It helps people like me who likes to go down the rabbit hole and learn more about the video's topic.

[@suhas8030]

It is because of his last video where he fed up the history

[@MrLense]

Johnny got humbled from his last video

[@whyrulikedis8248]

man probs all people should learn from their mistakes

[@crowealtiuss]

there are many people who called him out for not citing the sources.

[@matthewjury4385]

You gotta add sauces to your sub

[@xdanbo1859]

2:38 - Saying Subway food is "old and stale but kinda delicious at the same time" is just about the most accurate way I could come up with describing the food at Subway.

[@hazelcrisp]

A complete mood

[@mollybrolly4717]

@@hazelcrisp a complete FACT!!...

[@kindlin]

I am literally keeled over crying right now from that line.

[@bvanhise]

I've lived in Korea for over a decade. 10 years ago it was impossible to find a single Subway. Traditional Korean restaurants don't give options beyond the dishes themselves. Asking staff to "hold the pickles" or modify your order is quite strange. Also, most of the population go into a trendy restaurant (called 핫플 or 맛집) and simply ask: "What's your best seller?" (뭘 제일 잘 나가요?). They order whatever everyone else does. So the concept of fully personalizing your desired food is picking up as a trend so perhaps Subway is timed well to ride this wave.

[@Anthony-fz9ye]

Isn’t it 뭐가 not 뭘? Just checking in case if been saying it wrong lol

[@Apgujohn]

I lived in Seoul for a few years between 08-12 and there were Subways everywhere. I had two (and oddly enough a Quiznos) in my neighborhood alone. Granted it maybe depended on where you lived in the city (I was in Sinsa) but it definitely wasn't impossible to find one 10 years ago.

[@bvanhise]

@@Anthony-fz9ye 뭐가 is correct. 😀

[@bvanhise]

@@Apgujohn Interesting. We had no Subway in Daegu but oddly had a Quiznos which was eventually closed and turned into a cell phone store.

[@Apgujohn]

@@bvanhise Ahh ya maybe Subways were only located in Seoul (and perhaps Busan) at that time. Yeah, the ubiquity of Quiznos was so odd to me. It had just moved out of my home state before I moved to Korea and I assumed it went bankrupt or something. Then I moved to Seoul and they were all over the place. I didn't eat much American fast food over there because the local restaurants are always so incredible. I did get Subway a few times and it lined up with what the video says -- cleaner and better lighting but ultimately the same disappointment. Side note I always found KFC to be better over in Korea than the states. Potentially because they had to compete with all of the mind-blowing domestic fried chicken chains?

[@christianjwong]

Subway being lovingly integrated into K-drama plots is delightfully absurd. Thank you for shedding light on this.

[@TheEliseRodgers]

I just like to note that John Oliver has the HBO entertainment and research budget, while Johnny Harris has managed to make a really in-depth, well researched - but also entertaining - follow up to Oliver’s base story on a significantly different platform and budget. Kudos Johnny!

[@studiodreamken]

I hope this happens more often. Oliver can do the story from his studio, then Harris goes out and covers it in person!

[@wobblysauce]

The ol one two

[@edkwon]

Yeah it's great synergy, I love the original John Oliver piece as well

[@EayuProuxm]

In fairness to John Oliver, he also investigated Subway's questionable business practices and how it manages its stores and franchisees.

[@ekinteko]

Yep, this comment is streets ahead!

[@AncientAmericas]

As someone who watches a lot of K-drams, this has bugged me to no end. Thank you for devoting an episode to this!

[@sarahwatts7152]

Cool to see other channels I watch showing up in the comments here. Well hello!

[@AncientAmericas]

@@sarahwatts7152 hello there!

[@silvervixen007]

Yeah, it's character breaking. A poor girl that has the latest Samsung model?

[@AncientAmericas]

@@silvervixen007 Honestly and sadly, at this point, it's normal. I've accepted that all Koreans will inevitably eat at Subway at various points of their lives, some of which will statistically be very important. Touché subway.

[@lyricoan9646]

@@silvervixen007 It's not only in Korean dramas. Chinese dramas have the same thing. The main character is supposed to be poor but have a macbook or wear designer clothes.

[@faraazakhtar4983]

As someone who's watched a shit ton of K-dramas, I've seen some pretty terrible product placements, but the subway one's always work somehow. Maybe because a lot of conversation in korean dramas happens over food, and it adds to the conversation. Either way, it's worked and I definitely like subway more than I did before.

[@puny_God]

Suits anyone who watches K-drama 😂 wack af

[@christina4012]

No the subway placements are ridiculous amd obvious

[@ElizabethHernandez-ub7mv]

Honestly the product placements are like Pokémon to me or like bingo. I like to see which brands are sponsoring the drama. I remember when the dramas I watched started using Quiznos instead of subway (in ~2018-2019) and I thought that was the next big thing but it didn’t really take off. I guess subway is that powerful I guess.

[@hitokiri_neko]

I wish those ads worked on me too.

[@himsingh]

how could you not notice expensive samsung phones

[@TimeBucks]

I love the balance of accurate facts and jokes!

[@amjidali5670]

This is awesome 👍 and helpful rust out somewhere else at least time.

[@goforward8697]

@timebucks Informative AND entertaining. Infotainment. Haha ahhhh you’re a nightmare. Please stop commenting schlock.

[@9deer882]

Amusing

[@jagannaidu1686]

Time bucks give opportunity to earn money 💰 daily through different tasks. I earned money 💰 very recently Thnak you Time bucks👍

[@doralmiami4104]

cool

[@john15yt]

Generally speaking, American fast food brands are far nicer and regarded as "cooler" in the international marketplace, as opposed to here in North America, where they are regarded as merely the cheapest option and the experience reflects this accordingly. This phenomena is worth delving into deeper.

[@xStarstargirlx]

This. That's like when I get the most excited about when going an American fast food brand...is when I am at overseas LOL. And I live in America. It is so much better overseas than in the states. So, I do wonder why it is better. Maybe cause overseas just value food quality?

[@napperforlife2020]

i personally love subways. it's so good. and im a born american korean so i understand why it's popular in korea. BUT I will say, they actually take care of their stores and update their interiors yearly.

[@lollelelele]

@@xStarstargirlx At least in the EU area, there are pretty strict rules on the quality of food. So that could be on reason

[@buddyblris3094]

yeah. Basically, fast food brands are literally cheap and fast with low quality food in America but they turned into luxurious restaurants in other countries.

[@quan-uo5ws]

@@lollelelele not really, in Bulgaria mcdonalds is litteraly so bad it could be classified as food poison.

[@JimmyLe]

I consume alot of media of varying degrees. I just wanted to say thank you for your videos. Not only are they informative with a specific zeal or zing but are easily digestible and have an almost theatrical vibe to them. Keep them coming! Also love the honesty and insights.

[@EnayetChowdhuryOfficial]

I felt the same when I was watching a K-Drama called 'Memories of the Alhambra'. There was an AR game where player gained strength/points if they ate an item from a SUBWAY point. Whatever. Johnny also watches K-Dramas. Now I can die peacefully. 😆

[@aniruddhabhowmick2771]

Arey Mama....kmn achen 😳

[@aymanreza2283]

মামা কি অবস্থা

[@sajibboidya2855]

Are sir ki obosta 😁

[@safiussifat]

what is the link between johnny watching k-dramas and you dying peacefully?

[@MinhajUM]

Ha ha.. he loved your comment & you posted this.. You become happy with little things.. it's a beautiful habit..

[@AjP3r3z]

Personally, how K-dramas advertise products during the show make me want to buy those products. Instead of having an ad break where we tend to skip or even the time during commercial breaks are being used to go to the bathroom or get a glass of water defeats the purpose of the advertisement. So I think this is a more effective way and it works for me from a consumer perspective.

[@teddycambosa9910]

It's the power of understanding fan purchasing behavior. Brands and marketers alike realize more than ever through digital trends the large opportunities of certain demographics, such as those that watch K-dramas. When done perfectly, brand integration just feels 'organic' to the consumer, even when it isn't.

[@edwardkim8972]

Ancient Korean thinking... aso! (Before I get cancelled, know that I am Korean!)

[@Legority]

It can be done well, but it depends what brands are sponsoring and which shows are being sponsored. For example, two people having a conversation while driving a Ford F-150 is fine, but characters using Amazon Echo devices in a movie about mass surveillance isn’t.

[@silvervixen007]

Yeah that's why it's forbidden in my country. Because it's powerful

[@mrsherpa4773]

Thanks!

[@josha618]

did you know that Johnny doesn’t need to use shampoo

[@sorasorisora]

deep Johnny lore here

[@nord7556]

He made a whole video about it. 😂

[@itismethatguy]

Make this the top comment guys

[@zayneytem]

Straight up facts.

[@K3vinTuCara]

Fun fact indeed

[@CapCrunch45]

Speaking of product placement, the Tom Hanks movie Castaway was a great example where real world brands helped propel an emotional survival story. Hanks’s character is a FedEx worker who ends up stranded on an island and talks to his only companion - a Wilson volleyball 🏐 whose name is, you guessed it, Wilson. If done right, product placement can be a complement to the story rather than a distraction. In this case about Subway in Korean dramas, unless the drama is a retelling of actual events, I think the whole product placement of Subway is too distracting and detrimental to the story.

[@joelwillems4081]

Ray Ban sunglasses in Top Gun and Reeses Pieces in E.T. still did product placement better. Nike did a good job in Back To The Future II but they were already a powerhouse thanks to their earlier commercials team up with Michael Jordan.

[@selohcin]

LOL. Obviously, the Korean people don't agree with you.

[@sg3428]

Just disagree with the last point (agree with the above ones), I think creating it as a place where important story points are happening like Crash Landing on you or others like Date or meet up of characters isn’t distracting. Our main focus is on the story happening but in back of our mind by half a glance it registers that happened in Subway. So next time, you want to meet up with someone you will think, how about going to Subway like that drama or just passes by Subway & other franchises - you would want to enter Subway.

[@burrybondz225]

Your story reminds me of a pizza hut in yemen

[@yojacq]

Amazing video man

[@zcmini000]

Subway's product placement in Community was always my absolute favourite

[@waywardmind]

Damn right. Corpohumanization is the best humanization, after all.

[@artyb27]

Same here, with Chuck in a close second.

[@reva199017]

Came here to say this , glad people are already on the same page

[@nujogstel11]

A very brief history of Subway in South Korea: It first came here in 1990, but didn't go so well until the 2010s (almost withdrew from the market entirely), and then with the use of product placement the market just exploded and there are Subways basically everywhere. Especially near college campuses and office clusters. Btw, we do not eat Subway as often as our K-drama actors. But I did have Subway for lunch today.

[@nicholaswhorley8343]

Haha, but you had one for lunch. That's a funny coincidence! Yea, I never see super busy Subway stores here, but they're a fairly popular lunch/dinner option for employees without company sponsored meals.

[@correadoggsten]

Dude wtf. As an American I feel like Subway is so bad. Idk how they stay in business

[@ApatLang]

@@correadoggsten they’re only bad in America (bec of cost cutting). They’re ok in other countries. Same with other fast food brands like KFC and Pizza Hut. They’re nice and fancy and use better ingredients overseas.

[@Bhethar]

McCafe in Slovakia is like a high end European coffee experience. When Costa tried to get in it was going pretty bad because instead of adapting they wanted to sell overpriced watered down lattes.

[@mike496]

In Switzerland Subway has a similar reputation as in Korea. They are "new" compared to other fast food companies and have really clean and small restaurants like in Seoul

[@peepeetrain8755]

that's kinda like the reverse in Australia. McCafé as a concept was created here because of the strong coffee culture and was pretty trendy and hipster, now mcdonald's coffee is considered 'watered-down', low end, last choice coffee. Infact any fast-food coffee doesn't do well here, (*cough* *cough* starbucks *cough*).

[@moomoomachines7193]

I’m pretty glad Johnny is covering a topic that is unique to my culture; always found it intriguing of the viewer culture; It’s so extreme that celebrities in variety tv shows aren’t even allowed to mention the name of brands that haven’t paid for product placement. Even simple logos like Nike and adidas shoes are censored by adding tape over the logos.

[@user-uy1rg8td1v]

I wish Johnny would cover how many times American fast food is better overseas.

[@johnxina987]

Imagine Johnny on a Netflix budget with a whole production team

[@rog38]

I have seen u in world affairs, Hindustan times and everywhere

[@zainstrikes_]

And actually factual research. ;))

[@theguythatcoment]

@@zainstrikes_ you mean "research" that doesn't hurt the feelings of people that benefited from colonization? or that don't hurt the feelings of people that benefited from owning slaves? Bullies really love to play the victim card

[@shaebrown2872]

@@zainstrikes_ where’s your rebuttal

[@therealsunnyk]

Does anyone else want a coke all of a sudden? Maybe he already has that kind of budget ;)

[@ErOrNWi]

One of my favorite bits of product placement was in the drama Mr. Sunshine. It takes place at the turn of the 20th century, as Japan is increasing its influence over Korea. And yet, they managed to sneak in a ton of advertising for Paris Baguette, a Korean bakery chain that started in 1986. Really impressive.

[@Vani_904]

One of these PPL actually worked on me and my mom . We were watching a drama that had an ad for a wireless vacuum cleaner and we were so amazed by it that we ended up buying one

[@lorez5336]

No but this is so random. I currently work at Subway and I actually applied for a job at Subway last year because I really liked the way this Korean woman who works at a Korean Subway vlogged her days working there. I loved it so much and enjoyed it so much that she made me influence me to work for Subway. It felt so nice and enjoyable when she was working there and I went in for a an interview and didn’t mention that but had that thought in my head. Sadly I didn’t get the job and went in again for another interview recently, about a month ago, and finally got the job! Such an amazing job and completely different from my first job ever. I really wished I worked here first but I’m still happy regardless 😊

[@kamu747]

Is this an ad placement in comment form? 🤔 Haha. Just kidding. I'm glad you're happy. Not many enjoy their workplaces.

[@chun1310]

It did the same to me. Suddenly while watching them eating the sandwiches I had the urge to get one and eat it. Unfortunately in my city Subway closed their store. Reason was that in a society where we eat Halal food they had opened a store offering pork sandwiches. They should have made their research better.

[@user-dz4eb5rb3g]

You can still eat their tuna

[@Dong_Harvey]

@@user-dz4eb5rb3g maybe.. Who's to say its really fish?

[@at_oussama]

@@Dong_Harvey spoiler alert: it’s not.

[@chun1310]

@@user-dz4eb5rb3g They didnt serve tuna sandwiches here. I personally love to eat tuna

[@chun1310]

@@at_oussama Tuna is a fish and it is Kosher and halal

[@Wicherpot]

I love how the cheeky red Coca Cola can is perfectly placed in the interview. Our you’re in on the joke or it‘s an inside joke from the professor.

[@justinrempel9366]

I hope Coke sponsored in the amount of $70k USD.

[@snicholson8884]

Ahhh I was looking for this kind of comment. 😅

[@michaelcameron3645]

hahaha i noticed that

[@droneio]

There's also a sly placement of Starbucks throughout the video

[@raytsh]

I just recently started to watch k-dramas and it was very noticable for me that everybody and their mother were using the same smartphone, notebook or driving the same brand car.

[@onecombatbootplayz8379]

interesting how johnny harris made a video on product placement while there being a coca cola can on the korean journalist's table the entire time great video btw :)

[@user-qu1xl3ee1d]

Thank you Johnny for listening and improving on your content! Love the stuff you do

[@powershin12]

i think one of the reason subway is getting better reputation in korea is they have a large amount of vegetables in it. Koreans love vegetables and no other fast food restaurants does not offer that amount of vegetables.

[@tisser-k9d]

Very true

[@loveaintfree1409]

Hey man we love meat too !! Way more meat lovers than veggies !!

[@Sevnail345]

So true. and maybe because the vegetable price is expansive as hell.

[@BSAnime]

Visited Korea recently and I had watched John Oliver's segment about Korea so I was definitely trying to see if Subway was a thing in Korea. I didn't go into any, but I noticed a lot more Subways there than I expected. They all looked clean and more crowded than back at home. I'm sure part of that was because I was in Seoul... but Subway was definitely more popular than I thought it was.

[@KingLimeIX]

Really loved the way you broke the 4th wall with the ad and ingeniously linked it to Korean drama's model of product placement and at times subtle advertising. Very creative storytelling.

[@곰푸-d4h]

As a Korean, I can confirm that we absolutely hate blatant ppls (product placements). It is so cringey yet we have to endure it for better overall quality since the drama industry would go broke without it. And the interiors of subways and dunkin donuts were similar to the pictures of places in the US you showed in the video, but Koreans love slick and neat designs so they recently changed. +The ppl at 8:39 was hated by Koreans because it is a korean dish made by a Chinese company. In Asia, China is known for claiming cultures from neighboring smaller countries to be theirs, so this ppl made Koreans think that China is trying to steal another traditional dish.

[@renaudjacob1111]

I think the interiors is just part of an overall rebranding. We have subways that look like this too in Canada

[@oBCHANo]

They should go broke, these shows are all terrible.

[@Jack-rr9nh]

Hmm... that maybe but my chinese friend told me that most korean food originated from China.

[@ratoh1710]

Like the drama that happened when some Chinese people tried to claim kimchi. A lot of east asian dishes have been inspired by Chinese dishes but that doesn't make them Chinese, just like how a lot of western food isn't french even though a lot of western food culture is based on french cooking. Kimchi is still Korean, ramen is still Japanese and no fun fact will change that.

[@ktttttt]

To be fair most stuff in East Asian culture have their origins in China like even the traditional writing system is Chinese, buns (mantou) came from China and so many other things, although yeah kimchi is from Korea but I think the news report about that was really misleading

[@RicardoGonzalez-yl3fj]

I actually kind of want to eat at Subway now. Thank you, Johnny Harris for creating a huge KZbin Subway ad

[@AliceNine]

Honestly, I'm happy to take this form of advertising over literally 18 minutes of commercial blocks for every 42 minutes of TV.

[@l4nzel0d]

But you're not watching House of The Dragon on cable. You watch it without any kind of advertisment by sponsoring the company directly through subscription

[@BouncingTribbles]

This is why I don't have cable, I just watch a lot of 23 and 42 minute videos

[@graylifestyle743]

You only get ad/commerical breaks if you have cable or if you use a streaming service with ads. I use Netflix and haven't seen any kind of advertisement for years. It's only when I watch K-dramas that I see excessive ads for Subway sandwiches, Maxim instant powder coffee, Kopiko candy, Samsung smartphones...etc

[@hugoepcastro]

Fun Fact: It is becoming a reality in Brazil too, the novela (kind of soap opera) "Pantanal", which is very famous, is placing ads within the story of the show, it's very weird sometimes

[@FranciscoJG]

The "merchan" has been a reality here for decades actually... And yes, most of the times it's weird indeed.

[@alexm4302]

Love the guy talking about product placement with a very obvious Coca-Cola can with the logo facing the camera perfectly

[@aarongingerich1478]

Haha, I noticed this as well. I thought that it would be a joke at the end of the video.

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

The Subway shop with the “clean” look is actually a redesign and revamp from a few years ago after decades in the “brick” design. The “brick” design is getting phased out. I assume as an attempt to attract a younger base.

[@mdogzino]

Dude every major restaurant chain does redesigns every few decades or so. I live in Canada, both Tim Hortons and McDonald's spent billions modernizing their restaurants a few years ago to look fresh and update their looks to compete with each other.

[@andrewwayne777]

The ones that are clean and new (they look like the ones in Korea) always have more cars than the frumpy dumpy "brick" ones. Ours is so fancy it has color change led lighting and hires pleasant people for 15/hr. Amazing what a difference there is.

[@christianwyns9144]

Hey Johnny, I am a freelance Director of photography here in the US and I’ve been working traveling the country for the past few weeks filming B-roll of Subway restaurants that look identical to these ones in Korea. It’s hilarious some of the B-roll you got is exactly what I have been shooting. They definitely have some brand cenergy going on interested to see how they start advertising more in the US. Thanks for the great video.

[@jhjs8637]

it's synergy. not cenergy

[@ruhamaxo]

Finally the subway scenes in every kdrama makes sense. Great video!

[@Entertainment-]

This yearning towards Western/US brands can be seen around the world. While Pizza Hut is the run-down cheap pizza place in the US, in Germany it's an mid-market American-style Pizza shop (American style is rare there) and KFC in Japan is also a mid to high-market chicken place synonymous with Christmas even.

[@waywardmind]

When I was living in China, KFC was huge there, too, and when a Pizza Hut opened in the city where I lived, it was kinda fancy. Also, McDonalds was a popular date spot, usually for ice cream, and its prices were mid-range or even high (for China). Quality was waaay better, too, across the board for all American fast-food chain restaurants.

[@FlavumSignum]

When I visited Hong Kong, the Pizza Hut is a really nice sit down restaurant where the server politely brings over a wine list while you look for a pizza. The neighborhood Pizza Hut near where I live looks like it was last updated in 2003. It was a very surreal experience for me needless to say 🤣

[@nomms]

When I was living in China I was craving some cheap greasy American pizza one night, drunk as a skunk in Beijing. Wandered into a Pizza Hut, white table cloths everywhere, with an actual waitress and hostess (quite uncommon in the country) with nice classical playing over the speakers. Was a bit surreal. Felt like someone was playing a prank on me. Pizza was just ok, still was a very Asian pizza.

[@mfaizsyahmi]

"Kurisumasu wa Kentakii!"

[@lennartgoebel]

KFC is in Germany the least visited fast food restaurant, because it's just too expensive and I don't know anyone who ever goes to Pizza Hut in my city, but the restaurant is still open

[@jinkim96]

I gotta be honest. I kinda felt a bit reluctant trying to watch this episode cuz I am a Korean myself and that would affect me to become more critical towards the video. But you actually talked a lot about what I would've said about the phenomena than well, myself lol I'm rather more amazed by how intricate all of your videos are and how much research you must've done to make a video. I'd say that this was way more interesting than most local broadcasts and more accurate. Thank you for the video. I really enjoyed watching you talk about this :)

[@henloworld514]

my exact thoughts!

[@orangejmoothies]

me too! but as an on and off viewer/subscriber of johnny, this was just as equally fun/entertaining to watch without feeling weirdly defensive!

[@iamabread9614]

I'm a Filipino that is living in the Philippines. Ask anyone and they had either watched or is currently watching a K-Drama. Korean Culture is big here. Yeah I really know when a product is clearly advertised but I didn't even notice when subway was being advertised until it was pointed out by my mom who is much more addictive in K-Drama.

[@SneakerTalkTCG]

This is actually so dope 😂 love that you got a Korean university professor to interview too for further insight!

[@jhawk1229]

I took her class in university years ago, she's a brilliant scholar who knows everything about Korea, and has some wonderful lectures

[@LEGSPIRATION]

I am very agree to this. I remember when my Korean friend arrives here in the Philippines and the first he said, Do you have Subway store here and I said yes over there. Koreans most of time tend to buy according to trends.

[@theawesomeman9821]

I feel like everyone follows the trends not just Koreans

[@RideWithRen]

I live in Korea and you hit the nail on the head, Subway has the market cornered here. And US food brands in general are much better here, not only in Korea too... next one do a video on how McDonald's in Germany is 100 times better than in the USA.

[@Alias_Anybody]

If that's 100x better, what kind of fish food do they serve in the US?

[@RideWithRen]

@@Alias_Anybody McDonald's in the US is just a very crummy experience. In Germany every McDonald's is a nice café.

[@timsimon928]

I‘m from Germany and visited subway stores in both Germany and the US plenty of times. There is a massive gap in quality between those two countries at least.

[@shaukahodan2373]

Korean dramas are wildly popular outside of Korea (especially in SE Asia) so this is a much bigger marketing move than you initially realise

[@antoine22]

Which ones better?

[@TheThomas2730]

Yeah Americans seem to miss that Fast Food stores can actually look good. Abroad are way higher standards.

[@02dpoirier]

A lot of this relates to the scale of US infrastructure. Renovation/branding cycles are needed every 10-15 years while Subway boomed in the mid-2000s. Many other brands suffer from the same issues.

[@johnl.7754]

Not sure but it might also be many of the US fast food brands are cheap to eat at so the stores are not that good while overseas it might be a mid range place to eat at so everything is done better.

[@zakwindle8859]

Putting a break between the ad and the actual video content is a really nice touch. It makes the story feel more genuine rather than trying to slyly sneak products into the narrative in an attempt to grab the viewer’s attention.

[@mishumali]

Fastfoods in South Korea just are honestly leveled up, the quality is so much better than everywhere else.

[@dvampofo]

The production of your videos get better and better every time Johnny. Keep up the great work.

[@paulbalanlay8129]

I love how the south Korean professor put a coca cola can besides him.

[@sjkyute]

subway in k-dramas have affected other countries as well- subway is famous in indonesia as that k-drama sandwich but there was no subway in the country (they tried to establish a store here in early 2000s but it failed) so more ppl were rlly curious. subway then came back indo and opened quite a few of branches here in a pretty short time. subway in k-dramas definitely have played a big part in this matter lol.

[@fluffls]

I haven’t been to a subway in years, this unironically made me aware of its existence again and tempted me to go and have a sub It’s working!

[@matdrat]

It's still the same as your memory of it. Like a disappointing dream.

[@powertothesheeple5422]

Then hit up Jersey Mikes, Jimmy Johns, Firehouse, or literally ANY other sub shop - they are ALL better than Subway by a long shot.

[@windexssj4464]

@@powertothesheeple5422 I'm a subway millstower! Heyyo! With some sauce too. Just thought you should know

[@McMurica]

you're only allowed to get a meatball sub

[@punishanpika]

Subway manages to have so many restaurants because its stores are so easy to fit anywhere. They need very little 🤏 space. That makes Subway have many more potential locations than its competitors. Plus, the training requirements are relatively low. It shows supply side issues are just as important as demand side issues.

[@lucthenerd]

An interesting fact: Indonesian coffee candy Kopiko has been invading Kdramas as well. It was a well-known brand in the early 2000s but I don't see it a lot these days, so it was a bit of a shock how it became very very prevalent in Kdramas.

[@JayJay-wl5uf]

Kopiko? I thought it was a filipino brand ( cuz its common here in the ph ), Oh well the more you know i guess...

[@lucthenerd]

@@JayJay-wl5uf It's a brand by PT Mayora Indah Tbk, an Indonesian company. It's been here since 1977, so it makes sense that it has expanded into business in other SEA countries.

[@debolinadutta3447]

Really? Kopiko is very very veryyyyy famous in India. Almost everyone has eaten it more than once in their lifetime I, too, have some in my fridge now. 😀😀

[@lucthenerd]

@@debolinadutta3447 I told my little sister this, and she was shocked too. We haven't quite seen anyone buy Kopiko for maybe a decade now except for our parents and that's only to keep in the car for when they need to chew on something. That's why it's shocking how it's been a staple PPL in Kdramas these days. I didn't know it was known in India too.

[@debolinadutta3447]

@@lucthenerd haha, interesting how a brand is famous everywhere else other than its place of origin. Fun fact : Kopika is being advertised in India by Alia Bhat, a big movie star in B'wood. Now imagine the demand for the brand here. 😆

[@chiz_m2013]

Speaking of product placement and how effective it is... I actually discovered Shin Ramyun through K-dramas. And now I'm addicted to Shin Ramyun 😅

[@fauxdauteur]

This is classic Vox Borders Johnny Harris and I absolutely love it! You are the GOAT of multimedia journalism!

[@melowcolette]

YES! It's happening here in the Philippines as well. More Subways with clean/well-lit stores than before. Also more and more Popeyes stores opened here like all malls have popeyes and it's weird coz before pandemic no popeyes at all that I heard.

[@jw7268]

How do they compete with Jollibee?!

[@melowcolette]

@@jw7268 I tried popeyes months ago and it doesn’t even compare.. taste bland..

[@kimabella8636]

I admit, advertisements from kdramas pull me through subway. Its effective

[@jonathanwilliam8819]

When is jollibee coming to Indonesia!?!

[@bayokoebi9351]

Johnny Harris your journalism is exceptional, I can learn allot from you without going to college

[@starcherry6814]

I'm so sick of the subway slander! I'm headed to Korea to get me a veggie delight on Italian herb and cheese bread rn!! 😤

[@RawrItsMattyz]

Love to see Johnny take on criticism and apply it immediately! Keep up the grind

[@yojacq]

Anyone else watched the whole ad segment? The way he explains a vpn ahhh so entertaining

[@Tototoo88]

Thank you for listening to constructive criticism and adding your sources!

[@McMurica]

I dare say people who criticize him are rarely constructive. It's great that he has the sources, but he usually researches very well, regardless of what people claim.

[@Tototoo88]

@@McMurica there was a very recent video that a Johnny replied to and was very humble about receiving the criticism. It helped the video was being respectful.

[@GabriellaJaftha]

I loved this video. As a massive Kdrama fan, I found this so interesting and it doesn't take you out of the drama as an ad break does. It's very clever, yes it is cringing but if you watch Kdramas you would know, that the storylines can be very outlandish.

[@maozedong8370]

You watch the ads? The place I watch them just has the episodes, subbed and I pay for nothing. Where are you watching them that you get the ads too?

[@GabriellaJaftha]

@@maozedong8370 I am saying that if you watch it via streaming you don’t get ads like with American TV shows. Because K dramas don’t break for ADS on cable TV either. They rather do product placement instead of selling time for ad breaks

[@maozedong8370]

@@GabriellaJaftha Yeah, but I still don't really get those. Th platform I watch KDramas on, all the ads and product placements are cut out.

[@trei49]

Plot twist: Harris' video is itself the most natural product placement Subway has ever done lol.

[@ThePinkHellion]

I've been working at a subway in Maine for about a year now and I"m now the AM. I've worked at pretty much every other fast food chain other than mcdonalds and I can tell you that it's a completely different experience. The owners are actually involved, they pay us a lot for fast food, and idk about other stores, but my store is all updated and fresh looking. idk I've definetly been into some crappy ugly Subways, but it's usually just the employee didn't sweep the lobby.

[@KeerthanaMaryZachariah12345]

Apart from Subway, I think one reason why Korean cosmetic and beauty products has a huge market all around the world is this stratergy. I remember once seeing this K-drama which had product placement of a particular sheet mask. After repeatedly seeing this girl doing it, I also wanted to give it a try. Now look at the huge market they have created. I never realized until your video why they had these kind of product placements all over the episodes. But weirdly it works very well...

[@flytec]

Can’t wait for the other documentaries from SK. Went there in 2019 with absolutely no expectations and friggin loved it!

[@willewiking98]

I really appreciated all the community references, always good to see the show being showed love in different contexts.

[@ukmaxi]

It was similar for the UK until fairly recently; product placement laws in any TV production/show aired on TV was forbidden entirely. However, these restrictions were relaxed recently and it can be fairly obvious on non-BBC produced programmes. However, it is thankfully not quite as on the nose as these K dramas.

[@vokasimid5330]

Like the kneel scene in Fleabag

[@watchavideoalot]

Johnny is finally getting to the heart of really important subjects!!! XD

[@carolfigueirars]

Never been to South Korea but I'm into korean shows for years. I think it was in 2014 that it seemed Subway adds were every where no joking. It was so constant as make up adds or Samsung phones.

[@Entertainment-]

And LG, Hyundai and Kia.

[@carolfigueirars]

@@Entertainment- LG too. I never pay that much attencion to cars even though they put them right at our faces. 🤣

[@Hillers62]

I've been to Seoul...It is a great city...safe, bountiful, with shops everywhere...even a great subway system...with hundreds of shops in the subway area!!!! And the people were SO friendly...then, in the evening I saw large screens illuminated everywhere!!! And there were so many open markets and street vendors...I had a Bungeoppang...a fish shaped deep fried cake...then I had something called Beondegi...I didn't know what it was...but it looked good...I found out later it was silkworm larva...I've eaten insects before...but this was the best...I love Korea...

[@malikashtar7216]

Looks like you've had a ton of fun!! 🤗 Great! ☺

[@GlitchedBlox]

"Doc, we are losing him!" "Use the defibrillator!" "I have a better idea!" **Shows a Subway sandwich spinning, zooming on details like dripping sauce**

[@strangersontheinternet]

I see Goblin… I click 😂 (the drama)… but for real subway is in EVERY kdrama 😆

[@Zeus_9137]

Just what I thought lol 😆

[@Jackson33miller]

The Subway episodes in Community were absolutely hilarious. They called out their on-the-noseness which made it effective

[@rbedi880]

Thank you for all of the community clips!! 😂😂

[@zafaka88]

Really well done! I love the balance of accurate facts and jokes!

[@safe-keeper1042]

This gives me memories of watching Norwegian TV as a kid. We imported all sorts of American shows, from Friends to MacGuyver to Pacific Blue, but the commercial channel (in the 90s we only had two in total) showed commercials only between shows, so us kids always thought that fade to black in so many US shows was just for dramatic effect.

[@santisisma83]

When credit is due, you did the right thing to put in the source based on your researched. kudos...

[@kuhvalentin]

Loved this analysis, Johnny. I always wondered about the insertion of products in the kdramas I watch and this really is a good explanation for it. On the last bit on the trope Subway does to itself with their own mini kdrama, a lot of other companies do that in Asian countries. Look up Jollibee's valentine series from my country, The Philippines. The stories in the commercials are heart-warming and put Jollibee in the center of it all. 😊

[@lmsoo008]

As a korean, watching k drama with family or friends sometimes, we also get angry for the unnatural product placements greatly interrupting stories.

[@ravenreichyt]

Subway and Dunkin looks so clean and super nice. But that's how they look like everywhere but the US.

[@randomina465]

By the way ,just here to say with the recent controversy : we love u Jonny and we learn from u and we appreciate the work u do keep it up

[@vivekjuneja]

Loved the video, and your short nuggets of Seoul city design. Seoul is a remarkable city and in my experience the city designers have a great taste in good design - functional and good to look at.

[@takumi2023]

please produce the intended video soon. glad I found you from MDJ. nice wide variety of topics I can binge-watch to sleep.

[@MagnumTechnicalAcademy]

Great presentation just like always

[@miko1848]

ikr

[@MagnumTechnicalAcademy]

@Shaggy Vibert I just did😃

[@gavindeng8359]

@@MagnumTechnicalAcademy why you watching at 4x speed then

[@Rold.Y]

another amazing video, great presentation as always, love the way you do things!

[@Slebonson]

Dunkin' has done that here as well with some of their newer stores. I like them more now. Hope your well Johnny can't wait for the next one!

[@abrahamg4857]

This was such an interesting topic to cover, thanks, Johnny! One thing that can be confusing for Americans to wrap their mind around is that something like a sandwich is not fancy in our country but when you're in a foreign country it becomes "foreign food" so it's exotic, for lack of a better word. There's a donut chain in Japan called Mr. Donut that would be really unusual in the US because the simple donut is elevated to premium status. And, as Johnny said, it offers a US business an opportunity to rebrand. It's very fascinating how some random American things become special in other countries. Eastpack (the cheap backpacks you buy at Walmart) is premium in countries like Germany, everyone probably knows about how Levi's were a big deal in Soviet Russia. Years ago I was on a tour in China and our tour guide was so excited that their company splurged and got us rooms at Howard Johnson. My entire group gave her a puzzled look, like that's not fancy but it turns out in China a Howard Johnson is viewed as equivalent to a Hilton. Certainly not the case back home.

[@sunnygirl9691]

We have that here too - fancy donut shops with $4 donuts or pizza places with a $30 or $40 pizza but they typically are slightly upgraded (ingredients and atmosphere).

[@samanthathomas1416]

Johnny!! My friend and I just had this conversation about Subway's mediocracy. We were under the impression Subway was on the out, but our faces when we saw they were the largest chain in the world?!?! This was very satisfying and relatable haha

[@malikashtar7216]

🤣

[@tongueslip9448]

its like christmas when he uploads!

[@tylerismyname]

That's such a weird but fascinating thing. It's funny how the strict regulations have kinda gone full swing in the opposite direction, with probably one of the strangest ad models so far. Can't wait to see the next video about the border! Also, massive respect on acknowledging and correcting this whole source thing. It's really great to see!

[@aimy.22]

Oh my gosh laughing whenever johnny gets distracted from his main goal of the videos and starts comparing korean subway from american