How Caffe Bene Rode K-drama PPL to 1,000 Stores in Five Years

Caffe Bene quickly made a name for itself through drama PPL, including the 2009 MBC sitcom 'High Kick Through the Roof,' and surpassed 1,000 stores both domestically and abroad in August 2013. This figure was achieved just five years after the brand launched in 2008, but the company later faced ups and downs, applying for corporate rehabilitation in 2018 as the burden of overseas investment and new business ventures grew.

The reason Caffe Bene's name is being mentioned again is not simply because it was a coffee brand that once had many locations. Viewers watching dramas in the late 2000s repeatedly saw the same logo in the spaces where protagonists made appointments, worked, and held conversations. As scenes accumulated, Caffe Bene was remembered as part of the daily life within dramas even before any advertising slogans.

Brand Imprinting through Store Exposure in 'High Kick Through the Roof'

The starting point for Caffe Bene's rapid recognition was drama PPL, or indirect advertising. A major factor was that the stores themselves were used as filming locations, rather than just briefly showing a cup or a sign. The meetings and conversations of the characters continued inside Caffe Bene, and viewers became familiar with the brand through scenes rather than through explanations.

The 2009 MBC sitcom 'High Kick Through the Roof' is the most distinct example of this effect. At the time, Caffe Bene was a latecomer coffee brand, but through repeated exposure in the popular sitcom, it created the impression of being 'the cafe that frequently appears in trendy dramas.' Later, in works such as 'Coffee House' and 'Secret Garden,' the cafe spaces and brand image were absorbed together by viewers, further expanding its name.

901 Domestic and 99 Overseas Stores in August 2013

The numbers grew rapidly. In August 2013, Caffe Bene surpassed 1,000 stores, combining 901 domestic and 99 overseas locations. The strategy of making a name through star marketing and drama PPL, while increasing the time spent in stores through large-scale locations and dessert menus like waffles and shaved ice, aligned well with the coffee shop market at the time.

However, the familiarity shown on broadcast did not alleviate the burden of store operations. While rapidly increasing domestic and overseas stores, the burden of overseas investment and new businesses also grew, and in 2018, Caffe Bene applied for corporate rehabilitation. Behind this were issues such as logistics supply disruptions, franchise support problems, and an increased debt burden.

First Memories in Dramas and Actual Store Experiences

The case of Caffe Bene contains a landscape of the early days when K-dramas and brands met. While viewers try to avoid advertisements, they react more easily to spaces where characters in a drama naturally stay. This also confirms that for PPL, how naturally it is used within a scene is more important than the duration of exposure.

Today's drama PPL must pass through even more discerning eyes. If it interrupts the flow of the work, viewers reject it immediately; conversely, if it blends into the characters' everyday lives, the brand remains for a long time. The process of Caffe Bene reaching 1,000 stores and its subsequent corporate rehabilitation shows how difficult it is to turn a first memory created by a drama into a lasting real-world store experience.