Popular brands gained a surge of online interest among Filipino consumers after collaborating with South Korean boyband BTS, according to the data from the product discovery and comparison platform.
Data from e-commerce market aggregator Price showed that six brands that BTS collaborated with since 2019 had a huge spike in Google searches in the Philippines due to their promotions with the septet.
These are:
- Samsung
When BTS released a BTS edition of Galaxy S20+ in July 2020, the smartphone company saw its Google searches soar by 73% or 13 million searches as compared to the same period in 2019.
- McDonald’s
The release of the BTS Meal which started in May 2021 earned a 47% increase in consumer interest than the same period in 2020.
In the Philippines, following the release last June, McDonald’s Philippines Marketing Head Margot Torres stated that they have sold more than 3.5 million pieces of chicken nuggets on launch day.
- Louis Vuitton
Since BTS became the luxury brand’s new ambassadors last April, its online interest skyrocketed by 65% compared to the same period last year.
Last July 7, the seven members made their debut on the runway in Seoul, South Korea. They wore designs from LV creative director Virgil Abloh.
Changing perspectives. Join #LouisVuitton ambassadors @bts_bighit to watch @VirgilAbloh’s #LVMenFW21 show live from Seoul. Watch on Wednesday, July 7th at 7 pm (GMT +9) on Twitter or https://t.co/uNwRJx00hb pic.twitter.com/gkLUlyLKAJ
— Louis Vuitton (@LouisVuitton) July 6, 2021
- FILA
FILA only had an increase in interest after Footwear News named Fila Disruptor 2 as Shoe of the Year in late 2018.
When BTS collaborated with the brand in late 2019, it was still 54% lower than when FILA was given the recognition.
If compared to the same period this year, FILA gained higher interest from Filipinos during the BTS promotions with 40% increase in interest.
- Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola’s Google searches grew by a remarkable 127% last January 2021 after BTS collaborated with the soft drink company for its “Turn up your rhythm” campaign.
- Tokopedia
Despite not being part of the international scene, Indonesian shopping site Tokopedia caught the attention of Filipino fans by 98% following the collaboration in October 2019.
It further increased by 255% in 2020.
“The brand awareness has transcended the borders of Indonesia. Perhaps Filipino e-commerce sites can take a mental note of Tokopedia’s success,” iPrice said.
IPrice noted that if a brand cannot afford to collaborate with all seven, the charm of one member might make the cut.
“It must be the whole package, but let’s not ignore the influence of each BTS member. K-pop fans have come up with a term called “bias,” which essentially means their favorite member,” it said.
In Southeast Asia, the younger members V, Jungkook and Jimin are the most popular. They are followed by Suga, Jin, RM and J-Hope.
