Be “limitless” in promoting your brand! Swing to triumph with these K-pop stars’ marketing approaches!

Monday: Marketing Marvels FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Happy Monday! We’re excited to talk about outstanding “Marvels” who exemplify achievements in marketing, business, and the music scene. In these Monday articles, we showcase such free-spirited individuals’ insights, outlooks, and contributions in their fields of expertise. Today, we’ll highlight the uplifting narrative of one of K-pop’s superhumans. Read on to know how these “Marvels” soared with majestic wingbeats and unwavering determination to overcome adversity and doubts. CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

Be “limitless” in promoting your brand! Swing to triumph with these K-pop stars’ marketing approaches! NCT 127: A South Korean Boy Group Travelers and tourists, raise your hands! Is Seoul, South Korea part of your 2023 itinerary list? If yes, we think knowing the capital’s GPS coordinates is good. According to an online coordinate finder, Seoul’s latitude is 37° 00’ N, while its longitude is 127° 30’ E. Did you know that in Seoul, “127” does not only stand for the capital city’s longitudinal coordinate? This number is also connected to… NCT 127! NCT 127 is the second sub-unit of the larger boy group NCT (Neo Culture Technology), which debuted in July 2016 under SM Entertainment. The South Korean boy group blazed the entertainment industry with their thunderous extended play, “NCT #127,” led by the single, “Fire Truck.” Compared to the other sub-units, NCT Dream and WayV, NCT 127 is known for their fusion of experimental music, contemporary pop, hip-hop, and R&B. SM’s initial idea of NCT is to have “limitless” members who can be divided into sub-units based in different major cities, representing distinctive cultures and languages. This is part of the company’s decisive steps to redefine K-pop groups. The 127 squad currently promotes with nine mesmerizing members: Taeil (Moon Taeil) Johnny (Seo Youngho) Taeyong (Lee Taeyong) Yuta (Nakamoto Yuta) Doyoung (Kim Dongyoung) Jaehyun (Jeong Yoon-oh) Jungwoo (Kim Jungwoo) Mark (Lee Minhyung) Haechan (Lee Donghyuck) Aside from being promoted as a sub-unit, NCT 127 also participates in NCT’s albums. In 2018, NCT 127 went beyond baddie concepts in the studio album, “Empathy,” and proved music versatility by performing the colorful and bubbly track, “Touch.”, In 2020, the sub-unit also contributed to “NCT Resonance Pt. 1 and 2” as the members gave life and grooved to the song, “Music, Dance.” Also, the group shook NCTzens’ (NCT’s fandom name) hearts with the track, “Earthquake,” which was part of the studio album, “Universe.” Taking the Highway to Success Like any other group, NCT 127 has been receiving backlash and criticism since their rookie year. For instance: NCTzens, music producers, and media outlets criticized NCT 127’s title track for their third Korean-language studio album, “Sticker,” deeming the song was a daring move to sustain the group’s position as “trendsetters” in the experimental music genre. Some fans even cited that listening to “Sticker” confused them due to the “large shifts in energy and melody.” Despite the polarized comments, “Sticker” was applauded due to its futuristic cowboy concept and choreography. Moreover, “Sticker” found its way to the throne of being the group’s “most awarded song” in Korean shows, bagging 10 trophies. Additionally, on October 7, 2021, “Sticker” gave NCT 127 their first triple crown on M! Countdown. What’s more under NCT 127’s belt? Aside from releasing top-notch songs and albums, the group headlined their second world tour titled, “Neo City – The Link” to promote the third and fourth studio albums, “Sticker” (2021) and “2 Baddies” (2022). The tour ran from December 2021 to January 2023, with 28 shows across key cities in Asia, North America, and Latin America. So… what is NCT 127 doing to steadily capture NCTzens’ hearts? Experimenting hyper-localized content In promoting “Sticker,” NCT 127 created an online buzz, especially among NCTzens, when the group released a sitcom-inspired YouTube content titled, “NCIT House: Our sharehouse with full of joy and love,” which showcased every member’s comedic character. The release of this hyper-localized content diversified NCT 127’s online posts as the squad went beyond uploading music videos’ behind-the-scenes, dance practices, and travel vlogs. Besides, this marketing strategy gave fans a deeper understanding of the members’ personalities, allowing the group to be one of the highly admired K-pop idols. Key takeaway: In marketing and business, releasing hyper-localized content is integral because it allows your brand to connect with your target audience more intimately, pump relevance and credibility, improve brand perception, and grasp a competitive advantage in a specific market. Inclusive releases NCT 127 released inclusive content to solidify global reach that embraces diversity and signifies various perspectives. For instance: NCT 127 engages with international fans through social media, providing translations and subtitles in multiple languages in travel vlogs, behind-the-scenes, and other videos. Additionally, the group commits to inclusivity by featuring diverse casts and representations in music videos. Through this, the group caters to different language preferences and regions. Key takeaway: Releasing content that commits to inclusivity and diversity helps promote unity, self-acceptance, and empowerment among consumers from different backgrounds and identities. This fosters social responsibility, customer loyalty, and a positive brand image. Distinctive storytelling NCT 127’s music videos and songs never fail to captivate NCTzens due to the narratives they convey. Among the notable themes of NCT 127’s distinct storytelling are self-empowerment and determination to overcome challenges and societal expectations. Key takeaway: From a marketing and business perspective, incorporating storytelling offers key advantages, such as building emotional connections, making brands memorable, communicating values, and inspiring actions. By integrating storytelling into your marketing efforts, you can generate an impact that resonates with customers and drives business success. — Our featured individuals for today are trademarks of self-belief, confidence, authenticity, and uniqueness. These traits arm them with persistence and resilience that help them to further navigate their artistic visions. Having them as your business role models is a prompt to embrace diverse conceptualization to remain relevant in the ever-evolving industry. You can capture the attention of consumers with distinct tastes and preferences by experimenting on different concepts and themes. Stay tuned because in our next “Marketing Marvels” articles, you’ll learn other inspiring stories of individuals and groups who demonstrated notable influences in business and marketing. Hope you’ve found this week’s topic interesting and helpful.     One of the well-known people in human history is the biblical figure of Eve, who is regarded as the “first woman.” She rose to popularity since her tale holds great importance in numerous religious and cultural practices. Learn more about Eve Gay in next week’s article!