Campaign uses 'new car bragging' theme to highlight Mycar features; actor Baek Hyun-jin cast as brand model

[Provided by Lotte Rental]
[Provided by Lotte Rental]

Lotte Rental announced Monday that it has launched a brand campaign for its long-term personal car rental service, Lotte Rental Car Mycar, through Season 3 of "Jikjangindeul," a Coupang Play original sitcom.

The third episode, released Friday, centers on the theme of "bragging about a new car." It features Kim Won-hun, a junior employee character who has just leased a new vehicle through Mycar, alongside actor Baek Hyun-jin, who serves as both the Mycar brand model and plays Deputy General Manager Baek at the fictional marketing firm DY Planning.

"Jikjangindeul" is an ultra-realist, ad-lib sitcom following employees of DY Planning as they navigate life inside and outside the office. Lotte Rental signed Baek — who had won fans as the "Deputy Baek" character on the show — as the Lotte Rental Car brand model in May.

Campaign videos released since Baek's signing have accumulated 22.45 million views. The product placement in the sitcom was planned as an extension of that campaign, with the company noting that workers in their 30s and 40s — the core demographic for long-term car rentals — are increasingly consuming media through OTT platforms.

In practice, the long-term car rental market has continued to grow, driven by a consumer shift toward using vehicles rather than owning them. According to the Korea Rent-a-Car Business Association, the number of registered rental vehicles in South Korea reached about 1.21 million in the second quarter of this year — up 3.6 percent from about 1.17 million the previous quarter — surpassing 1.2 million for the first time.

Lotte Rental Car Mycar is Lotte Rental's long-term rental service for individual customers. The company has been enhancing convenience for users, including by recently extending breakdown repair services to all personal long-term rental customers.

Through this campaign, Lotte Rental plans to put both its personal service, Lotte Rental Car Mycar, and its corporate service, Lotte Rental Car Bizcar, front and center — reinforcing the message that long-term new-car rentals are a smart choice for individuals, sole proprietors and corporations alike.

"We designed the campaign to naturally weave in Mycar's strengths through the universally relatable theme of showing off a new car," a Lotte Rental official said. "We will continue to expand the touchpoints where customers can encounter Lotte Rental Car in their everyday lives."


eyre@heraldcorp.com