Danniel Henney - From a TV doctor to a marketing idol
November 8, 2005
The “Henney effect” has become a buzzword in Korea’s advertising industry, as Daniel Henney, a Eurasian model-turned-actor, has helped to boost sales of whatever he advertises here, from cars to clothes.
Mr. Henney, who was born in the United States to a British father and Korean mother, was catapulted to stardom after he appeared in the local television show “My name is Kim Sam-soon.” In this hit show, which aired from May to July, Mr. Henney played a suave Korean-American doctor who came to Korea with the female patient he fell in love with.
With his good looks and sophisticated manner, Mr. Henney instantly became a household name here, prompting many local businesses to rush to hire him as their new face. Indeed, Mr. Henney now appears in TV commercials for six local brands, ranging from cell phones to cars, an airline and a television shopping channel. Yesterday, the Korean unit of French cosmetics maker L’Oreal also took a plunge, announcing that it had selected him to promote its men’s cosmetics line in Korea.
“Seventy percent of the consumers for our men’s cosmetics products are young women,” Choi Yun-a, marketing manager of L’Oreal Korea, said. “We hired Mr. Henney to target this consumer group.”
Indeed, companies that have hired the actor are already seeing their sales surge. Local garment maker Cheil Industries, which has promoted TV commercials starring Mr. Henney and Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow for its “Bean Pole” casual wear line since September, said sales of the line from September to October were up 28.1 percent from a year earlier. This compares to an 8 percent year-on-year increase in the first half of this year.
GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. has also benefited greatly from Mr. Henney’s popularity since he began advertising the carmaker’s new “Gentra” model in September. “Consumers even inquired about the new model even before our salespeople launched the sales campaign,” one GM Daewoo manager said.
As Mr. Henney’s proven popularity has delighted many companies, the cost of striking a marketing deal with him has become much higher. Before his TV show, Mr. Henney received about 50 million won ($48,100) for one advertising deal, but now he is classified as one of the “A-list” stars here, who usually receive 10 times that amount or more per contract.
Source: JoongAng Daily 3rd November 2005
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My Lovely Sam Soon is a very funny & meaningful shaw
Comment by Joleen — January 21, 2006 @ 11:35 pm
Check out this article on Daniel Henney!
http://www.psychopedia.com/dailynews/2006/08/denim_roadtest_heart_seoulkore.html
Comment by alison — August 4, 2006 @ 5:19 am
hello
Comment by NHIVY — March 13, 2007 @ 1:39 pm
I think that danniel is handsome and very cute!!! please I want to know more about him
Comment by Ester — March 26, 2007 @ 3:36 am