[Trend Recipe] 'Awakened as a Vampire After Eating Ramen'... What Happened in the ENHYPEN Ad

Courtesy of SM C&C [Financial News] The dormant instincts of the ENHYPEN members awaken after taking a bite of ramen. Depending on the stimulation of the taste, they transform into vampires with distinct personalities. This differs in tone from the familiar commercials where idols simply hold a product and eat it with relish.
This is the story of an advertisement where Samyang Foods has transferred ENHYPEN's entire vampire worldview into its ramen brand, 'MEP'. The way the food and beverage industry utilizes idols is changing. They are no longer stopping at merely featuring the faces of popular stars on product packaging or advertisements; instead, they are weaving the product's characteristics and the idol's concept into a single narrative.
By mixing idols from different generations and infusing the artist's worldview into the product, they are turning the advertisement itself into content that fans enjoy and collect. ■ ENHYPEN Turns into Vampires After Eating Ramen Samyang Foods connected MEP's 'special stimulation' with the vampire concept that ENHYPEN has built up over approximately six years since their debut. The premise is that "the special stimulation of the ramen awakens the vampire's instincts." In the commercial, the members awaken as different vampires depending on the product's flavor. Instead of simply showing scenes of eating ramen, the story is structured like a fantasy video. Fans familiar with ENHYPEN's existing concept can also enjoy the fun of spotting the settings and scenes within the advertisement.Beyond the main advertisement, the content has also been diversified. Twenty-six short-form videos utilizing memes popular within the fandom were released in succession to encourage sharing and new interpretations among fans.
The worldview depicted in the advertisement has also been extended to limited-edition packaging and merchandise. This is a strategy to connect the heightened immersion achieved through the video to actual product purchases.
■ Like 'Eolbaksa,' Idols Are Included (From left) SHINee's Minho, TVXQ's U-Know Yunho, and RISE's Wonbin appearing in the 'Eolbaksa' advertisement. Courtesy of SM C&C.
The advertisement for Dong-A Pharmaceutical's energy drink 'Eolbaksa' features a combination of idols that transcends generations. TVXU's Yunho, SHINee's Minho, Rise's Eunseok, and Won Bin participated in an advertising campaign.It is an exceptional lineup that brings together idols from the 2nd to 5th generations. This combination resembles the way the product was created.Courtesy of SM C&C [Financial News] The dormant instincts of the ENHYPEN members awaken after taking a bite of ramen. Depending on the stimulation of the taste, they transform into vampires with distinct personalities. This differs in tone from the familiar commercials where idols simply hold a product and eat it with relish.Courtesy of SM C&C [Financial News] The dormant instincts of the ENHYPEN members awaken after taking a bite of ramen. Depending on the stimulation of the taste, they transform into vampires with distinct personalities. This differs in tone from the familiar commercials where idols simply hold a product and eat it with relish.
The advertisement also included a new interpretation of the song "We Are" by Deux, along with a dance performance. It targeted a wide range of audiences at once, from teenagers who like idol models to the 2030 generation familiar with the "Eolbaksa" recipe, as well as long-time Bacchus consumers.
Eolbaksa sold over 35 million cans within one year of its launch. ■ Reflecting BTS's Opinions in Product Planning There are also cases where artists went beyond simply acting as advertising models and participated in product planning.
This is 'ARIH,' a food and beverage brand planned by hy and Paldo in collaboration with BTS. BTS's opinions were reflected in the process of determining key concepts, such as the brand name, flavor, and packaging design.First introduced overseas, ARIH was sold domestically through Mega Coffee and duty-free shops. hy attached ARIH posters to approximately 10,000 refrigerated electric carts nationwide.Scanning the QR code attached to the carts allows access to the brand's official social media channels. The advertising industry describes this approach as "narrative synchronization" between the product and the artist.
It is a method of creating a connection that fans can understand—specifically why a particular model is advertising a product—rather than selecting a model simply because they are famous. An advertising industry insider stated, "It is now difficult to attract consumer attention by merely featuring a famous star as a model," adding, "The characteristics of the product and the artist's concept must naturally align so that consumers can understand why this particular model is advertising the product.
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Courtesy of SM C&C [Financial News] The dormant instincts of the ENHYPEN members awaken after taking a bite of ramen. Depending on the stimulation of the taste, they transform into vampires with distinct personalities. This differs in tone from the familiar commercials where idols simply hold a product and eat it with relish.
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