라떼는 말이야

Origin

"Latte-neun mariya" is a pun on "na ttae-neun mariya" ("back in my day"), the phrase older Koreans often use to open a story about their own experience, swapping in "latte" for its similar sound. It is used to poke fun at kkondae talk, the habit of lecturing younger people using the past as the standard.

It is not known who first made the pun. What is clear is the case that fixed it in the public mind: a Samsung Life Insurance ad in spring 2019. Part of the "Responsible Life Finance" campaign, the ad's 30-second TV version began airing on March 25, and it went up on YouTube around the turn of March and April. Its key moment is actor Kim Byung-chul of the drama SKY Castle holding a cup with a horse drawn on it and opening with "latte-neun mariya", which also reads as "latte is a horse," since mal means both "a word" and "horse." From there the ad shows how times have changed, with a niece who works as a YouTuber, a daughter-in-law who prefers the company cafeteria to home cooking and a colleague asking to leave early, making the point that "my day" is no longer the standard.

Spread

The response was fast. The YouTube video passed 500,000 views within days, 2 million in under two weeks and 2.4 million as of April 13. Industry observers credited it with breaking the formula of sentimental insurance advertising and using humor to reach people in their twenties and thirties. It was produced by the agency Cheil Worldwide and fit a wave of successful "B-grade" humor ads that year, such as Burger King's "Sadalla" campaign.

By the end of the year, the phrase was one of 2019's defining catchphrases. In December, YTN named it a keyword of 2019, reporting that related content had passed 7.5 million YouTube views and had spread into songs and relatable office-worker memes, along with the literal English translation "Latte is horse." Yonsei University psychology professor Lee Dong-gwi interpreted it as capturing the gap between an older generation that stresses its own achievements and a younger generation that finds that attitude stale.

Usage

• Muttering "here comes the latte" when a boss or senior starts in on the old days
• Self-deprecating humor, saying "latte-neun mariya~" yourself before telling an old story
• Visual jokes such as a latte cup with a horse on it or the phrase "Latte is horse"

Sources

• New Daily, "Samsung Life unveils new 'Responsible Life Finance' ad" (April 4, 2019) — TV ad airing from March 25, YouTube release and early 500,000 views, Kim Byung-chul and the horse cup, the niece, daughter-in-law and colleague scenes, targeting people in their 20s and 30s
• Economic Review, "[Marketing Inside] Samsung Life's 'Latte-neun mariya' passes 2 million views" (April 2019) — 2 million views within two weeks, 2.4 million as of April 13, industry assessment, production by Cheil Worldwide, the year's B-grade humor ad trend
• YTN, "[Video] 2019 keyword: 'Latte (back in my day)'" (December 19, 2019) — named a defining catchphrase of 2019, 7.5 million YouTube views, the "Latte is horse" spin-off, spread into songs and memes, Professor Lee Dong-gwi's interpretation