Whether you’re a baby ARMY, newly inducted, or an original ARMY since debut days, there is no escaping the influence of this once-in-a-lifetime, global phenomenon called BTS.
(Images attributed to @ResearchBTS)
While one tweet can light up the world in an instant, one announcement can sell-out stadiums across four continents in minutes. Understandably, when ARMYs mobilize in support of a BTS-related initiative, the results are astounding.
BTS and ARMY Culture’s author Jeeheng Lee described ARMY as “a community of taste and BTS as their common denominator.” Repeatedly, ARMYs’ “powerful solidarity worldwide” manifests itself as they invest their time, energy, and resources in support of BTS. People become part of a ‘taste community’ when they share a ‘common taste.’ Shared tastes that extend to watching the same movie, wearing the same style of clothing or fashion accessories, or dining at the same restaurant. This is why BTS is referred to as the ‘common denominator’ for ARMYs.
Earlier this year, marketing expert Ana Andjelic wrote an opinion piece titled: “Why Taste Communities are the Future of Marketing.” She stated that an effective marketing strategy should focus on taste communities that a person belongs to, rather than the person themselves. Applying this philosophy to ARMY reveals a simple result. If BTS likes it, then ARMY’s interest grows, and once ARMY likes it, they will support-- en masse. Similarly, for businesses (large and small), if BTS endorses, sponsors, or simply ‘likes’ a product, suppliers are oftentimes overwhelmed by the number of orders that may suddenly come flooding in and struggle to meet these demands.
Three stories have been chosen to demonstrate the magic of BTS x ARMY power. Also, while BTS member V is the common denominator in these stories because of his keen fashion sense, other examples also come to mind. 2019 brought us the infamous Jungkook - Downy incident (amongst others) and BTS’ official Hyundai endorsement that “saw customers facing up to a ten-month wait on their orders” (McLeod, 2020). Likewise, every time BTS steps out in public, their outfits are soon sold-out, and more recently, Bodyfriend experienced huge boosts to their sales after BTS became the official ‘face’ of their product.
Story One: Paint Palette Day
In May 2019 Kate Rowland owned a small jewelry business in the UK, where she designed, made, and sold her own line of necklaces, earrings, pins, and brooches. With her eight-year-old business beginning to struggle, she started to look for other ways to supplement her income. On June 10, 2019, the unexpected happened. Kate started receiving international orders for her small paint palette brooch, predominantly from Korea and Japan.
Not knowing what had happened Kate went in search of answers on social media and soon discovered a photograph of BTS member V, wearing her brooch.
One year later, Kate’s small business is humming along nicely, and while it still requires a lot of hard work to sustain its growth, she is forever grateful for the unexpected yet meaningful ‘gift’ she received, simply because a BTS member liked (and wore) one of her jewelry pieces.
Story Two: The ‘It Bracelet’
Arirang Culture released an interview video earlier this year (Apr. 13, 2020), with Korean bracelet designer, Choi Chang-nam of CCN Made. From humble beginnings in the early 1990s, Choi began her business by crafting hand-threaded bracelets out of red silk. Over the years her color palette and the meanings behind the colors and designs expanded. Three decades later though, Choi found herself struggling to compete with mass-produced, machine-made products, especially as hand-crafting bracelets are time-intensive.
Ever hopeful, Choi made one last attempt to keep her business afloat. It was at this moment that V’s choice of accessories once again triggered ARMYs via social media. International orders came flooding in and an extra staff member was hired to cope with the demand. When this video aired, Choi expressed her sincere gratitude to BTS, who she now knows have been wearing her bracelets since their debut days and hopes to thank V in person one day, for introducing international ARMYs to her bracelets. Choi is also known for her goodwill, as proceeds from her sales go towards supporting various animal and children’s charities.
Story Three: Paying-It-Forward
Our last story relates to an article published by the Korean news outlet ‘Gukjenews’ in June of this year. A heart-warming story that spoke of a Korean manufacturer donating 300 pairs of pajamas and food to a local community center. Making this act of goodwill more meaningful is the fact that it occurred during the COVID-19 outbreak. Readers may not realize that this event was prompted by a boost in sales, as ARMYs flocked to buy a particular set of pajamas worn by V, as seen below.
(Images attributed to @thetaeprint)
Celebrating their good fortune by paying-it-forward is an admirable quality of this company, especially as this gesture resonates strongly with the values that BTS x ARMY aspire to. Hopefully, it inspires others to do the same.
While BTS may be a phenomenal ‘case study’ and the ARMY fandom, a ‘community (or communities) of taste’ in marketing terms, these are only a few stories from a treasure trove of many that show us the magic of the power that BTS x ARMY hold.
DISCLAIMER: We do not own any audio & visual content in this video except for the editing. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS. No copyright infringement intended.
Written By: Shelley
Edit By: Ash
Checked By: Aury
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