By Diamond Robinson
Photo by Dylan Gillis on Unsplash
From the MET Gala and luxury brands to small business, K-pop idols are changing the way brands breach new frontiers. Due to the unique relationship between K-pop idols and their fans, nearly everything an idol does gets shared. This constant access to the idols and their lives, both professional and personal, creates a closeness and loyalty in K-pop fans that transfers to brands the idols associate with. Many K-pop fans care about what their favorite idols use, wear, eat and listen to and there are dedicated Instagram and X accounts for it.
Both intentionally advertised and frequently used items have the capacity to go viral when it comes to K-pop idols. In a livestream Jungkook, of BTS, used a light-blue insulated mug and once fans were able to identify it, it became an amazon bestseller and was temporarily out of stock. A small business, Dainty Knit, shared a TikTok about one of the brands best sellers is a beanie Changbin, of Stray Kids, wore that appeared in content on the groups social media and most recent album ATE.
In more recent years more K-pop idols have been at fashion weeks across the globe. At this year’s MET Gala Stray Kids appeared as a whole making them the first in history to achieve this. They were invited and dressed by Tommy Hilfiger after appearing in the Spring 2024 campaign, and once they hit the carpet both Stray Kids and Tommy Hilfiger became the most talked about topics while the carpet was airing.
The impact of K-pop idols is undeniable and including them in events, awards shows, campaigns and gifting items in the same ways western artists are, especially when done with care, creates an explosive opportunity.
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