With Persona Netflix debuting April 2019, the online streaming giant is bent on cutting a rich slice of the burgeoning South Korean market. In the ’80s, it was all about the whole world turning Japanese. Japanese cameras, cars, and other technology were the cream of the crop. Movies and theme songs mirrored the consumers’ deep admiration for anything made in Japan.
Fast forward to the early 21st century and now the new kid on the block has been around for some time in the public consciousness. Persona Netflix is just one of the many big signs out there that South Korea is the team to hoot for. And so, the country’s top talents, technology and otherwise, are all over the place.
Perhaps this is more evident in South Asia than any other part of the globe. And yet incredible as it might seem, SK’s top TV soap operas are very popular in Africa as well, just as they are such a huge hit in the Philippines. The nemesis of North Korea has become the giant billboard of the world.
In the raging smart phone wars, the tiny country in the Pacific with a score to settle with its closest neighbor, sure knows how to pick a fight. In fact, it’s no longer playing the role of David in the Goliath saga. Everyone knows that it’s been in the big leagues for a while.
From foldable phones to crystal clear TV screens, the country’s biggest export is winning the war in many consumer fronts. So it wasn’t a big surprise when the democratic version of the Korean peninsula unleashed its boy bands in the music history. And you thought the UK’s rock and roll bands had a monopoly on mass hysteria. Think again!
With the release of Persona Netflix in the streaming world, the market leader definitely had no intentions of paying homage to Seoul’s hegemony. Rather, recognizing or acknowledging it was part of the game. For obviously, what better way to cut your teeth into the lucrative South Korean market than to pay homage to its star system and leading film directors?
What a smart play. Wasn’t it only recently that the acting academy of America extolled the virtues of South Korean film making by bestowing it with the highest honors? Persona Netflix is an idea whose time has come. With solid marketing research, having a popular local actress work with high-caliber directors is nothing short of alchemy. The streaming leader is definitely at the top of its game.