K-POP STRATEGIES WE SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO
ENGAGEMENT is the key word. In every brand strategy, engagement is one of the main components. The same goes for the music business, and when we talk about engagement in music, it is a MUST to talk about K-pop's engagement strategies.
The amount of content that the K-pop industry creates for each group and solo artist is incredible. Every day, fans all around the world receive a deluge of content including photos, videos, reality shows, vlogs, interviews, variety shows, and gossip about their favorite idols.
That's not by chance; the K-pop industry knows exactly what they're doing. According to Schickel, the enchantment power basis lies in the intimacy illusion established between the celebrity and the public through media. It's the media that gives the impression that the more you know a celebrity, the closer you are to them and their life.
In the West, it is really common for us to watch artists from far away, but when it comes to the East, idols' lives are shown in many reality shows about their daily lives. Besides that, Korea has an abundance of variety shows where idols are involved and show their archetypes/personalities, which makes them more relatable.
Furthermore, sharing personal content is really common among idols. We see autograph sessions and special events where idols give food and presents to fans to thank them.
One perfect example of content creation is BigHit Entertainment. They upload a lot of BTS content, such as official videos and fictional contents related to the group, where fans can connect the dots and create a storyline, making them even more curious and engaged.
Moreover, BTS shares behind-the-scenes content, home videos of the group, and other engaging contents.
In addition to video and streaming actions, the boy group does specific actions to engage their audience, like the online project executed in February 2019. BigHit distributed QR codes on the internet and in real-life places where people could register their experiences about BTS that day.
Another great action made by BTS was during the "Love Yourself" album release. Each physical version of the album had a piece of paper with a random message. Putting the pieces together created a story, and fans engaged on the internet to complete the story. Afterward, the company published notes with the whole story completed.
This content takes us to the BTS storyline.
This content strategy contributes a lot to fans' engagement. BTS has a lot of fictional stories in a fictional world, with the story told in pieces that can be found on albums, music videos, short films, booklets, comic books, logo designs, and other materials related to the group.
Another important strategy used by many smaller companies is to upload official music videos from their artists on different channels from large media companies. The greater number of subscribers on those channels and the larger reach give a lot of visibility to smaller groups. They also make contracts with music distributors that help to release new songs on websites like Melon and Genie, which are very popular in the East.
We cannot deny that K-pop groups have a greater amount of content than Western artists these days. Besides songs, the K-pop world has concepts, videos, vlogs, theories, variety shows, and interviews that engage fans every day.
Analyzing BTS, even before their debut, the group had a lot of content on digital platforms such as cover songs, dance practices, and other videos about the group. Even now, through social media, they share a lot of personal content with fans. In addition to spontaneous content, there is exclusive content like before the release of an album or music video, where idols go on talk shows and variety shows to promote it.
Every content is released in order to bring fans closer, create a connection, and also to keep the group in mind. Even during tours and vacations, groups pre-record a lot of content to release according to their strategy.
Fans don't have time to "forget" about their favorite idols, because the content creation of this industry keeps fans busy talking about the news and spreading their idols' names all around the internet.
But who are those fans and why do they spend all day long on the internet talking about people they don't even know?
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