The TV series with the highest ratings over the last few months has been Descendants of the Sun starring actress and LANEIGE model Song Hye-kyo and actor Song Joong-ki, who successfully made a comeback after his military service. Special episodes were aired after the series ended and the leading actor and actress have signed a number of endorsement deals. The series was also aired in China, becoming a media sensation.

From the sweet romance between the leading characters to the beautiful scenes and brilliant performances of the supporting cast and OST – everything about the series worked perfectly together. Sales of various products placed throughout the series have also risen with the series' success.

Products from AMOREPACIFIC's LANEIGE brand appeared throughout the series and became popular in Korea and around the world. Today, I'll talk about the products promoted through product placement (PPL), which is defined as indirect advertisements embedded in TV contents, as well as discussing their ripple effects.

To be honest, I simply started watching Descendants of the Sun to see how LANEIGE products would appear in the TV series and of course, I found myself following along like everyone else after a while. But still, it was fun to look for LANEIGE products used by the lead character Kang Mo-yeon and other soldiers in the series. The scene where Kang Mo-yeon applied BB Cushion and Two Tone Lip Bar has become the stuff of legend for the way it led to both products becoming sold-out.

The series became something of a phenomenon in China, where stores used posters and scenes from Descendants of the Sun to promote their products. The pictures below are of stores holding makeup promotion campaigns around China taken by our makeup artists. The stores set up a VMD (Visual Merchandising) display at the front, and added scenes from Descendants of the Sun to leaflets targeting customers.

LANEIGE products were placed throughout the series, including that special scene where Kang Mo-yeon pampered herself. Soldiers used LANEIGE products to take care of their skin before going back to home and there were also LANEIGE products behind the romantic scene of the army doctor Yoon Myeong-joo and sergeant major Seo Dae-young, dubbed the "Koo-Won" couple. Some fans frowned at so many product placements, such as car, red ginseng, smart watch and camping gear, but LANEIGE made its presence felt in a way that was not obvious, but seamlessly witty and casual. Why don't you look for LANEIGE products when the series returns to our screens?

My Love from the Star in 2014 was the last great television sensation before Descendants of the Sun. It was much loved around Asia – everything Jun Ji-hyun did, ate and wear as the lead female role of Cheon Song-yi in the series was sold out the day after. There were products of AMOREPACIFIC's brands featured throughout, including illi, HANYUL, LANEIGE, IOPE and ANNICK GOUTAL. With the lead female role actually playing an actress herself, a fancy dressing table full of cosmetics seemed perfectly natural.

The scene where Jun Ji-hyun fully dressed before her date with the male lead character Do Min-joon was so beautiful that it looked almost like a full 90-second commercial film and her beauty shone a spotlight on all the products of AMOREPACIFIC that she had used. Her lipstick became an overnight sensation. The TV show was such a hit that misinformed consumers actually bought up all the wrong brand's product. Some even made false reports about the brand and color of the lipstick.

One actor above all has earned a place in the cosmetic PPL market, famous as the preserve of actresses. His name is Ji Sung and he's the first actor to make the sell-out legend through 2015 TV series, Kill Me, Heal Me. He delivered outstanding performance through his role of a man with multiple personalities – one of them was Ahn Yo-na, who always carried the lip tint – HERA SHEER HOLIC POP TINT. The success of the series led to strong sales for the product.

Many brands released similar colors with the pet name of Yo-na Tint, leading to a boom in pop color tints in the beauty industry. Plus, the series opened up a whole new possibility of male models in makeup commercials.

AMOREPACIFIC competes fiercely with other brands to glam up its products in TV series. New MAC Versicolour Stain appeared in Marriage Contract, a TV series which concluded recently, and a number of brands including Lancôme and Clarisonic have placed their products in the drama, Glamorous Temptation.

I have so far talked about PPL in TV series, but PPL in fact touches every aspect of the entertainment industry, with reality and entertainment shows being one of the biggest PPL markets. Beverages and food, in particularly, are promoted as they appear so natural in the hands of the cast.

The same goes with audition programs in Korea. Produce 101 is an audition show that recently became a huge sensation. Though it was a brutal survival program with only 11 members able to be picked from among 101 trainees, many were touched by their passion, sincere effort and the sweet adorable nature of the teenage girls who took part in the show.

Our products proudly appeared in Produce 101 as well. ETUDE HOUSE provided various makeup products for girls preparing to sing and dance in each episode. Products in cute packaging were much loved by girls and also proved to be of great quality by keeping the girls looking beautiful during their performances. One product even earned a pet name, "Jeon So-mi Cushion", and is now flying off the shelves.

In this articles I have briefly mentioned some of the many different PPLs you can find in TV programs. While many PPLs unfortunately meet with harsh criticism, appropriate use of PPL can lead to a huge success. I hope that you all have learned well about PPL and that you will find the witty presence of charming AMOREPACIFIC's products through various programs. Go AMOREPACIFIC!