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| K-pop superstars BTS / Courtesy of Big Hit Music |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Companies collaborating with K-pop megastars BTS have seen a boost in their brand awareness in Southeast Asia, according to the latest study conducted by Malaysia-based e-commerce group iPrice.
"After listing down six of BTS's notable brand endorsements in the last three years, we found that Google searches on one of those brands surged up to 83 percent in Southeast Asia (for a certain period) thanks to BTS," an iPrice official told The Korea Times Wednesday.
To date, the seven-piece act has joined hands with a myriad of brands, including McDonald's and Coca Cola, helping them beef up their global sales.
According to iPrice, BTS's recent collaboration with Coca Cola earned the drink manufacturer an 83 percent increase in brand interest compared with the same period in the previous year. In the case of McDonalds's and Louis Vuitton, interest in those brands jumped by 57 and 44 percent, respectively. Electronics giant Samsung, which released a BTS edition of the Galaxy S20+ phone last July, saw 43 percent growth on a year-on-year basis.
Indonesian e-commerce site Tokopedia has also capitalized on BTS's popularity. Interest in its brand was in decline in 2019, but it bounced back by 32 percent in 2020, after BTS became its brand ambassador.
iPrice said V, Jungkook and Jimin are the three most popular members in Southeast Asia. In its analysis, the company said V, who takes up 26 percent of the region's Google searches, seems to be the No. 1 player in terms of popularity in the region.
"Trailing behind are Jungkook and Jimin, who account for 25 percent and 20 percent, respectively," it said.
Meanwhile, BTS ― consisting of RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook ― has been leading the Billboard's main single chart for seven weeks in a row with its summer anthem, "Butter." It is now the BTS song with the longest run atop the Hot 100.
