If
you have no clue what the Korean Wave is, let me tell you. The Korean Wave, aka
the Korean Hallyu, is the increasing popularity of the Korean culture. This
wave began in the 1990s with the spread of Korean dramas. During the 90s, the
wave was slowly moving along, but not many people had much interest in it. This
soon changed when we enter the start of 21st century. While Nsync
and Backstreet Boys were leaving the “boy band” scene behind, the Korean
culture adopted it. With the rise of Korean pop music, the Korean Wave began to
steady increase its popularity. By the time we hit 2007, the Korean culture had
branched out all over Asia with musicians, TV series and movies paving the road
for future investments. Without a doubt by 2010, the Korean Wave had become a
global phenomenon. Not to mention with the previous trend of Psy’s Gangnam
Style in 2012, the Korean craze became better known. Now what does this have to
do with advertising? Well, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
The
Korean entertainment is just a big showcase that everyone enjoys watching, but
behind the scene there is a lot more happening. From the promoters and
advertisers to the dedicated fans; the Korean Hallyu is just getting started.
Advertisers work the same everywhere you go. The Korean entertainment is no
different. The music scene is the most successful section of the entertainment
business; Kpop will never die. Why, one might ask? Because music never dies,
it’s a universal language. Even, if one consumer stops listening to a band’s
music, it would not affect them in anyway because the band would probably gain
a hundred new fans with every new song they make.
One
of the biggest companies in the Korean entertainment industry is SM
Entertainment. They have established the biggest celebrities in the Korean
Entertainment and continue to create new artists continuously. Their marketing strategy
is very clever. For example, when EXO, a 12-member boy band, released their
album “Wolf,” their company displayed their album cover all over the streets
and on public transportation. This made fans and even regular people notice
them, which initiated their popularity. Not only that, but their fan base was
already stable so the company was quick to realize that dedicated fans would
buy ever product that had EXO’s face on it, so the company released at two
versions of the album which doubled their profit. Both versions of the album
sold out and many fans demanded for a restock of the albums. Whether the album
was a “real” music experience or not, fans demanded for more copies because
inside the albums contained collectable cards with the certain band member’s on
it. Fans were also motivated to buy as much albums as they can because inside
the albums was a code for a chance to “meet and greet” the band in real life.
With this type of promotion for EXO’s album many fans waited for hours to buy
the album and some fans even went as far as to buy albums in stores and online.
When
you think about this, we realize that this method of promotion was a smart way
of getting fans to buy EXO’s album. I mean, if we think about, not too many
people or anyone at all still buys albums. They simply just buy it off of
iTunes, but for the Korean Entertainment, a physical album gives the fans the
opportunity to actually see their favorite artist in real life, which is a once
in a lifetime chance. Giving the fans this once in a lifetime experience
assures the fan’s dedication for their favorite musician and allows the fans to
continue to support the artist’s music and promotions no matter what. The fans
will always be expecting something from the musicians and the musicians would always
provide the fans with a concert or albums. Either way the company and the musicians
get their profit in the end because of the fan’s support. It’s a successful
two-way street for both parties.
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