One of the hottest television shows in China this past year has been You Who Came from the Stars, a South Korean fantasy-romance that centers on an extraterrestrial being, played by Kim Soo-hyun, and his amorous relationship with an earthling woman. The 21-episode series, which wrapped up in late February, struck a deep chord with millions of female viewers in China and even now Kim remains one of the country's most recognizable celebrities.

Of course, television watchers weren't the only ones in China who took note of Kim's rise to prominence. Capitalizing on Kim's celebrity status, scores of the country's advertising agencies have plastered Shanghai with countless ads featuring Kim. In fact, according to a recent article in the People's Daily, Kim has appeared in ads across China for 35 different brands as of August, earning more than 100 million yuan ($16.26 million) in the process.

Such reports will not come as a surprise to anyone who has recently walked the streets of downtown Shanghai. Kim's smiling face, it seems, can be seen almost everywhere - on bus stop posters, in metro stations, on billboards and LED displays, on the side of kiosks and phone boxes. On the way to work, a commuter entering a metro station can easily see him endorsing ice cream. Exiting the metro, Kim's likeness may be waiting to promote mineral water.

As much as Kim might be admired for his good looks and his acting chops, some are less than pleased about his current role in Chinese advertising. Searching around on Weibo, one can easily find thousands of comments about "Kim fatigue" from those who say they have grown tired of seeing this A-lister in so many different advertisements.

Some have also bemoaned what they see as a lack of creativity in the advertisements which feature Kim. Indeed, a quick comparison reveals a multitude of similarities. In numerous ads, for products ranging from consumer electronics to snack foods, Kim's expression, hairstyle and clothing are nearly identical. Even the way he holds the items he is plugging gets repeated.

Advertisers and marketers have long relied on celebrities and public figures to promote products and brands to consumers. In a market-oriented economy, if a company crunches the numbers and arrives at the conclusion that a series of advertisements featuring a famous actor will help its bottom line, it would be hard to argue that it should not be allowed to spend its money on such a campaign. Similarly, if a company wants to create an ad that shares certain features with other ads, that is its own business. Consumers, for their part, are free to make their own judgments about the ads they see on a day-to-day basis as well. We live in a society where advertisements are a part of life, and if shoppers disapprove of certain ads they can ignore the offending material or change their shopping habits.

Still, in the case of Kim, one can't help but wonder what sort of value these homogeneous ads bring to the companies behind them. At the same time, what does the prevalence of such ads say about modern Chinese consumers? Are we so easily swayed by fan adoration that advertisers don't need to bother coming up with original or unique campaigns that capture the imagination? At least in a city like Shanghai, where local consumers often consider themselves among the savviest in China, I would expect to see more creative work from marketers.