뉴욕 타임스퀘어의 독도광고는 효과적인가?

The Korea Times 07-10-2012 17:36

By Jane Han

NEW YORK ― Times Square’s glittering spectacle of lights, neon signs and a chaotic bustle make it one of the busiest places on earth. And starting last Wednesday, in the heart of this glitzy spot, a giant digital billboard began playing an advertisement promoting Korea’s traditional folksong “Arirang.”

Interesting ― but how many of the 500,000 people who go through Times Square every day care, or better yet, understand what the 30-second ad is trying to say?

The commercial, titled ``Do You Hear?’’ features fast-moving still-cut images of Korean men and women wearing traditional hanbok, followed by the faces of celebrities Cha In-pyo, Park Chan-ho and Ahn Sung-ki, and ends with the caption ``Arirang. It is the folk anthem of Korea.’’

The clip, which is set to air a total of 1,500 times for one month, is the second “Arirang” ad following one last year. Both were designed by Seo Kyeong-duk, a public relations expert and visiting professor at Sungshin Women’s University, to protest China’s claim that the popular folksong is part of its cultural heritage.

``This ad has been created to protect our own music and promote it to people around the world,’’ said Seo, who is no newbie to the advertisement world of Times Square, where a coveted billboard spot can cost anywhere from $350,000 to $500,000.

So far, he has placed six Times Square billboard commercials that have promoted bibimbap, the Dokdo islets and the East Sea. Singer Kim Jang-hoon has shouldered most of the financing until now, but the latest ad was paid for by Gyeonggi Province.

These commercials have been talked about largely because they have been aired at such a symbolic location, but some critics question if they’re worth all the fuss and money.

``I wonder how many Korean people would react if a bunch of Iranian people hung a huge banner outside the 63 Building, claiming `Arabian Gulf No! Persian Gulf Yes!,’’’ said one person familiar with national branding, who requested to stay anonymous.

``Business principles stress that every message must target a relevant audience group and the message has to be something that the audience can relate to. Otherwise, people simply don’t care,’’ he said. ``Putting ads up in Times Square might mean something to Korean people, but to others, they just doesn’t mean much.’’

Around Times Square, not all passers-by noticed the ad and some who were asked to take a look wondered what message the commercial intended to convey.

``Why is the ad promoting a Korean folk anthem? Is there some kind of story to it?’’ asked Lisa Mendis, 35, an accountant who passes by the block every day.

Tom Ford, a 28-year-old dance instructor, admitted he never looks up to look at the ads anymore.

``Tourists look around and look up to see the huge billboards, but not if you live here. You just look straight ahead so you don’t bump into anyone,’’ he said.

While those supporting these pricey commercials say the media exposure will pay off in the end, opponents say too much media can end up hurting.

Kim Dong-suk, president of the Korean American Voters’ Council, says advocates must be highly strategic in approaching this type of promotion.

He took the Dokdo Islets as an example.

Kim said the U.S. Library of Congress almost changed the name of Dokdo to a more neutral labeling of Liancourt Rocks after seeing a New York Times ad about the territory. The commercial gave the impression that Dokdo is a place of dispute and that the name should not be used.

``Japan works quietly and diligently to get an upper hand on the issue ― very different from the way we jump in full force straight into the U.S. main stream media,’’ he said, adding that too much noise isn’t always good.

타임스퀘어의 독도 광고는 효과적인가?

화려한 불빛과 네온사인으로 휘황찬란한 타임스퀘어는 지구상 가장 붐비는 장소 중 하나다. 이곳에서 지난 수요일부터 한국의 전통가요인 아리랑 광고를 시작했다.

그러나 과연 하루에 그 곳을 지나가는 50만 명의 사람들이 30초 동안의 광고가 말하고자 하는 것을 이해하고 받아들일 수 있을까?

‘들리시나요?’ 라는 제목의 아리랑 광고 2탄은 한국의 유명인사인 차인표, 박찬호, 안성기의 자발적인 참여로 이루어졌으며, 한 달간 총 1,500회 상영된다. 이 광고는 홍보 전문가이자 성신여대 객원교수로 있는 서경덕씨가 디자인했으며, 중국이 최근 아리랑을 중국무형문화유산으로 등재하는 것이 대한 우리 음악을 지키고 알리자는 취지에서 제작되었다.

지금까지 그는 타임스퀘어 전광판에 비빔밥, 독도 동해 등 6차례 광고를 집행했다.

하지만 이에 대한 비판적 목소리도 높다. 국가 브랜드화와 관련된 한 인사는 “모든 메시지는 적절한 그룹의 사람들을 목표로 해야 하며, 이는 청중과 연관이 있어야 한다는 것이 사업의 원칙이다”며 “타임스퀘어에 광고를 하는 것은 한국인들에게만 의미가 있을 뿐 다른 사람들에게는 별로 그렇지 않다”라고 덧붙였다.

그곳을 지나가는 모든 사람들이 광고를 전부 보는 것도 아니고, 광고의 의도를 알지 못하는 경우도 많다는 것이다.

이와 더불어 값비싼 광고료와 관련한 불만과 일본과 비교하여 한국의 노이즈 접근 방식에 대한 의문도 제기된다.