Netflix K-drama Vincenzo delights Indonesia, Philippines with Kopiko, kopi luwak ads – just don’t mention the Chinese bibimbap

Stills from the show featuring product placements of the confectionery and the coffee have been widely shared by social media users in both countries

Its attempt to advertise a Chinese version of popular Korean rice dish bibimbap sparked a backlash, however. The offending scenes have since been removed

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Song Joong-ki in the K-drama 'Vincenzo'. Photo: TvN

Published: 2:45pm, 9 May 2021Updated: 10:19pm, 9 May 2021

Haiva Nurani couldn’t quite believe her eyes when she spotted her favourite brand of Indonesian coffee confectionery in an episode of hit South Korean television series Vincenzo .

The 22-year-old college student from Bandung, Indonesia, has been a fan of K-drama since high school, but said she had never seen her own culture represented in one of the shows. The “unreal” experience “surprised me and made me proud”, she said.

“I think Kopiko’s decision to invest in product placement in the drama was a smart move to expand to the global market since South Korea also has a big coffee culture,” Nurani said.

Vincenzo, which aired its final episode this month, stars 35-year-old Korean wave – or hallyu – actor Song Joong-ki in a dark role as an Italian mafia lawyer. It has since become one of the highest-rated drama series in Korean cable television history.

Stills from the show featuring Kopiko and kopi luwak, a coffee produced in both Indonesia and the Philippines from beans that have been partially digested by Asian palm civets, have been widely shared by social media users in both countries.

“I immediately searched online to buy a Kopiko blister pack after watching the show,” said Pikx So, a 20-year-old creative content writer in the Philippine region of Calabarzon.