Members of the skit cast of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” eat Shin Ramyun during a segment that aired Monday (local time). Courtesy of Nongshim
Korea’s largest instant noodle brand, Nongshim, made its U.S. television debut with a product placement on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
The ad featured Nongshim’s flagship product Shin Ramyun in a skit that aired Monday (local time). Guillermo Rodriguez, a member of the show’s cast, appeared in the scene slurping the noodles to recover from fatigue and make ends meet.
It marked the first time a Korean instant noodle product appeared on a mainstream U.S. television show. One of the country’s most popular late-night programs, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” debuted in 2003 and has since built a large following, currently averaging about 2.1 million viewers per episode.
Shin Ramyun’s television appearance followed Nongshim’s launch of a new global marketing campaign for the product last November, featuring K-pop girl group Aespa. The company released promotional videos on YouTube as part of the campaign, which was carried out under the slogan “Spice Up Your Life.”
In October, Nongshim also placed a Shin Ramyun advertisement in collaboration with Netflix’s hit animated series “KPop Demon Hunters” on New York’s Times Square. In the same month, the company operated a Shin Ramyun pop-up store at a terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
“Shin Ramyun’s scene-stealing appearance on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ shows that the product has become a K-food icon in the U.S.,” a Nongshim official said.
“We will continue to promote our slogan, ‘Spicy Happiness in Noodles,’ to global consumers and strengthen Nongshim’s position as a global brand.”