Yakult sales are booming for a surprising reason

This article originally appeared on New Idea Food.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is a teen rom-com that’s been dubbed the best of its kind to hit small screens for some time. It’s based on a novel of the same name by Jenny Han. 

The characters enjoy a “Korean yoghurt smoothie” which, although not named, is Yakult. Yakult is actually Japanese, but the red-capped bottle’s cameo was instantly recognisable.

Since the film's release on August 17th, the company’s shares have shot up 2.6%, and industry experts are putting it down to the impact of product placement.

Mark Bachman, head of corporate analytics firm M Science’s TickerTags, told Bloomberg, “We believe Yakult is achieving greater brand awareness, which should likely result in higher sales volume.”

What is Yakult?

Yakult is a probiotic that contains live bacteria and yeasts, and is made by fermenting a combination of skim milk and the bacterium Lactobacillus casei Shirota, which was named after the microbiologist who launched Yakult in 1935.

The mixture is designed to help prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and boost the amount of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system.