Lee Su-ji, choosing laughter over being a sexy model, emerges as a blue chip in the advertising industry

Comedian Lee Su-ji is creating a new trend by breaking the typical formulas of the advertising industry. Unlike existing water park advertisements that have primarily cast sexy stars with refreshing visuals, Lee Su-ji has been selected as the solo promotional model for Ocean World, thanks to her unique, cheerful energy. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Sono Hotels & Resorts Ocean World selected Lee Su-ji as a model that embodies the brand's symbolism.

Explosive buzz through parodies, a record of 10 million views

Lee Su-ji's advertising impact is proven by the numbers. When she participated as the model for Lotte Chilsung Beverage's 'Chum Churum' 20th anniversary, her videos parodying previous models such as Lee Hyori, Suzy, and Jennie received an explosive response. In particular, the video parodying actress Suzy garnered significant attention, surpassing 11.66 million cumulative views. The dining brand 'Tudari' also achieved 10 million views for a single video just 47 days after releasing its delivery advertising campaign featuring Lee Su-ji as the model.

From food to leisure, non-stop advertising love calls

Since early 2026, Lee Su-ji has been active as an advertising model across various industries. Her trajectory—starting with Lotte Wellfood's 'Crunchy' in February, followed by 'Tudari' in April, 'Chum Churum' in May, and 'Ocean World' in June—is an unusual record even within the industry. Currently, various brands, including Gamachi Tongdak, are sending love calls to recruit Lee Su-ji as their model.

Beyond image consumption to 'enjoyable content'

This phenomenon reflects a change in how advertisements are consumed. It marks a transition from the era of 'image advertising,' which simply borrows a star's image, to the era of 'content-type advertising,' where consumers perceive advertisements as a form of entertainment and share them voluntarily. Lee Su-ji has proven her ability to make consumers consume advertisements as content without resistance by characterizing and delivering brand messages.

From 'Ocean Bomb Goddess' to unexpected charms

The Ocean World campaign will be rolled out across all four seasons to mark its 20th anniversary. In the video released on Sono Hotels & Resorts' official YouTube channel, Lee Su-ji transformed into the 'Ocean Bomb Goddess,' introducing a pleasant summer along with a CM song she recorded herself; the video surpassed 270,000 views within just two weeks of its release. Recently, she has been demonstrating her unrivaled character versatility by showcasing unexpected charms through alluring moods on social media.