"Queen of Tears" Faces Flak for Excessive PPL of Mercedes-Benz Cars

According to sources, criticism has arisen concerning the excessive PPL of Mercedes-Benz Korea automobiles, one of the sponsors of tvN's Queen of Tears, in the K-drama.  

In Queen of Tears, various Mercedes-Benz Korea's top-class cars, such as the high-performance electric luxury saloon Mercedes-AMG EQS and the luxury flagship sedan Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class were showcased. 

In dramas and movies, product placement (PPL), including advertisements for specific company products using props, is typical. However, the perspective of the industry experts watching Queen of Tears is not favorable. They allege that actors are directly advertising the company's products beyond the limits of PPL.

Queen of Tears tells the story of Hong Hae In (Kim Ji Won), the heiress of one of South Korea's leading conglomerates, Queens Group, and Baek Hyun Woo (Kim Soo Hyun), her husband and the legal director of the Queens Group. 

The drama explores the crisis faced by the couple in their third year of marriage.

In the K-drama, Mercedes-Benz Korea showcased a total of nine models of its top-class automobiles, including Maybach and S-Class models, three high-performance electric and roadster models, and four major electric car models. 

Among them, the high-performance electric car Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ and the luxury roadster Mercedes-AMG SL 63 4MATIC+ are showcased as Baek Hyun Woo's cars.

The luxury flagship sedan Mercedes-Maybach S 680 4MATIC is shown as the car of the CEO of Queens Department Store, Hong Hae In, while the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is showcased as the car of Yoon Eun Seong (Park Sung Hoon), an M&A specialist in the drama. 

In response to the criticism, Mercedes-Benz Korea explained that the support for automobiles and production in Queen of Tears was intended to vividly highlight the lifestyle of the main characters and showcase the charm of Mercedes-Benz's flagship models to consumers.

However, industry experts continue to point out that the advertising is too blatant, with characters in specific scenes even detailing the features of the automobile.

In episode 4 of Queen of Tears, a child who appears as Baek Hyun Woo's nephew expresses shock after seeing Hong Hae In's car, a Mercedes-Maybach S 680 4MATIC, saying, "A V8 bi-turbo engine ... It's almost like a unicorn. Is that really your car?" Subsequently, the child requests his aunt Hong Hae In to allow him a ride in the Benz, and the Mercedes-Maybach S 680 4MATIC is shown again.

An automobile industry official criticized, "I understand that premium imported car brands have been making somewhat blatant advertising requests while supporting automobiles in dramas and other media," adding, "While watching Queen of Tears, I wondered if the scene where Hong Hae In allows her nephew for a ride in her Benz is really necessary for the development of the drama." 

An official from the production company of Queen of Tears responded, "The line spoken by the child who appears as the nephew was already in the script before sponsorship from Mercedes-Benz Korea was confirmed," adding, "Moreover, the automobile that was actually showcased in the drama is not a V8 but a V12 [engine]." 

It is not the first time Mercedes-Benz Korea has showcased its cars in K-dramas. The luxury automobile company has also sponsored dramas such as SBS's One Dollar Lawyer and JTBC's Reborn Rich, in which it showcased its automobiles, such as the Mercedes-Benz EQS, Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, among others.  

Source