Written by Nandini Sethi
BTS, the group may certainly be on hiatus; however, BTS, the brand continues to shine.
It doesn’t matter if you listen to K-POP or not – from a marketing standpoint, each one of the member’s mere appearances is a lesson in itself.
When did we realize this? Right after the oldest member of the group, Kim Seokjin, was discharged from the military last month, only to start solo schedules immediately. Literally, he was back to work that very day.
Talk about doing what you love🤷
Here are some lessons we’ve picked up since Jin’s much-awaited homecoming:
#1: Make sure everybody knows you’re back to business
It’s no surprise that top media publications and newspapers would be covering Jin’s military discharge.
But what would they be talking about?
Whoever is the marketing brain behind the band clearly thought about it.
They ensured the publishers would have something good and something memorable to talk about.
💡The big idea
A hug event
Fans took part in a raffle and 1000 were chosen. The event was exactly what it sounds like – fans queued up for a hug from Jin. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.
The event lasted 3 hours and conveyed a few things:
- If you want to make your comeback memorable, you’ve got to do something different
- Do something that tells your fans/followers that it’s about them – not about you!
- Make it personal and sentimental and all things gooey
#2: Tease, don’t reveal
Who was in attendance at the highly-talked-about hug event? Besides fans, of course.
Gucci.
Outside the venue
The French luxury brand left many gifts for the member. There was cake, there were flowers, there was confetti. There were also many, many bags filled with Gucci goodies.
Inside the venue
Jin was wearing Gucci shoes. You’re probably thinking, “Couldn’t this just be a coincidence?”
In a normal scenario, this doesn’t seem like such a big deal. However, when you’re in a boy band with a net worth of millions of dollars, even the tiniest of brand mentions indicates way more than meets the eye.
Even though there has been no official news about Gucci x Jin, people are already talking about it, imagining it, and without realizing it, marketing it themselves.
In conclusion: being at the right place at the right time matters!
#3: Take them by surprise!
When the Gucci hype reached its peak, another surprise announcement caught everyone’s attention:
BTS’ Jin was named the global brand ambassador for FRED, a French jewellery label.
The build-up to this partnership was the very antithesis of Gucci’s approach in the sense that there was no build-up at all. But, the excitement around it was just as palpable.
You can create hype for your audience
Or let the audience create hype for you
This association with Fred opened people’s eyes to the latter – a subtle, more classy way of maintaining relevance.
And that’s exactly what sets BTS and its members apart in the industry.
By promoting himself as a solo artist, Jin is also promoting BTS as a band… and vice versa!