The Rise of Long-Form Drama Titles: A Strategic Move in the OTT Era

《Kim Ji-won's Kakaotalk》
Today's story, candid and critical. TenAsia's reporter Kim Ji-won offers a discerning critique of entertainment industry issues.

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Once upon a time, the term 'Je-got-nae' was popular online, meaning 'the title is the content.' Nowadays, dramas are following this trend, crafting titles that hint at the storyline to capture viewers' attention. These titles are notably longer and more narrative-driven.

According to TVING's content rankings for March 23-29, the drama 'Efficient Meetings of Single Men and Women' has held the top spot for five consecutive weeks. The title itself encapsulates the drama's narrative. The protagonist, Lee Yi-young (played by Han Ji-min), is a 34-year-old woman struggling to find a life partner, ultimately resorting to blind dates due to the challenges of finding love at her age and in her reality. It reflects the dating struggles of modern single men and women.

The drama 'How to Become a Building Owner in Korea,' which ranks second in both drama and overall rankings, has a 12-character title. The title alone suggests a protagonist striving to become a building owner. The drama follows Ki Soo-jong (played by Ha Jung-woo), a building owner who gets involved in a fake kidnapping to protect his family and property. Other upcoming dramas like Kim Hye-soo's 'Infidelity Isn't the Problem Right Now,' Lee Jun-hyuk's 'Even Lotto Winners Go to Work,' and Ahn Hyo-seop's 'Sold Out Again Today' follow this trend of narrative, descriptive titles.

Examining representative works from different eras reveals a trend of increasingly longer titles. Around the year 2000, concise noun-based titles were popular, such as 'M,' 'Sandglass,' 'Trap of Youth,' 'Hur Jun,' and 'Dae Jang Geum.' By the mid-2000s, titles began to include characters or settings, like 'All In,' 'Full House,' 'My Name is Kim Sam-soon,' and 'Coffee Prince.' In the 2010s, poetic and longer titles like 'My Love from the Star,' 'Descendants of the Sun,' and 'Love in the Moonlight' signaled a shift.

In the 2020s, the trend of longer titles is even more pronounced. ENA's hit 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' and Netflix's non-English show 'Is This Love Translatable?' both have titles nearing ten characters.

This phenomenon is seen as a survival strategy beyond mere trendiness. Titles now serve as 'thumbnails' that stop viewers' scrolling amidst a sea of content. They provide immediate information about the drama and intuitively convey the type of entertainment it offers, increasing the likelihood of selection.

The advent of the OTT era has intensified this competition. In a platform environment with hundreds of works, catchy and distinctive titles are needed to capture viewers' 'three seconds.' Words like 'building owner,' 'lotto,' 'infidelity,' and 'single men and women' are strategically placed to pique curiosity. These words also become search keywords, giving an edge in algorithm exposure and search optimization, according to industry insiders.

The surge in webtoon and web novel-based dramas has also contributed to the trend of longer titles. Examples include 'Marry My Husband,' 'See You in My 19th Life,' and 'Extraordinary You.' By adopting titles that attracted clicks on original platforms, they aim to secure a stable fan base and reveal genre clarity.

Unique and distinctive sentence-like titles have become a clear marketing tool, signaling to viewers, 'This drama will offer this kind of fun.' The 'economics of intuition' has replaced the 'aesthetics of implication.' Cultural critic Kim Yeon-soo notes, "In an era of information overload, long-form titles with narratives can attract public interest by providing some drama information." However, he also points out, "While long titles can target specific audiences, they may not appeal to viewers whose interests don't align."

Kim Ji-won, TenAsia Reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr