Seventeen's advantage: appealing to Korean & international fans at the same time

[Hyooga]

Most groups either lean on being more popular to Korean or overseas fans, being more appealing to just a certain niche fandom or being general public-friendly but I honestly thing Pledis scored a jackpot with Seventeen because with their image & music I can see them capturing all of those.

 

It's pretty obvious they're slowly rising in Korea now. 

 

I can see them being loved by Chinese fans because of the group's image and energy. They have this very bright vibe that I can see appeal to people there. Their brand of music is also something easy to the ears and very KTV-friendly. Not to mention Jun has the makings of an amazing actor and TV host while The8 is a very talented stage performer so I can see them being able to find their place in Chinese showbusiness as well. The two will definitely help the group to develop a deeper connection with the Chinese fans and we know that a huge Chinese fanbase does wonders in the profitability of a K-Pop group. 

 

Japan is also a market I can see them doing very well in. They have the genki streetdance energy & distinct personality which is pretty much the magic formula for male idols in Japan. Their music will do very well there, not to mention their choreography has touches of theater/broadway which Japanese pop acts seem to incorporate to their dances as well. The fans obviously love those. Their visuals are the ikemen type I could see appealing to many and I can really imagine them being huge there if only they seriously learn to speak Japanese. Either way, if they actually learn to speak Japanese, that means they would secure K-Pop's biggest markets for sure.

 

International fans (SEA, USA, Canada, etc) of the group are also growing at an astounding rate. They actually remind me of BTS a couple of years ago in terms of the growth of intl fans.

 

What I see working for Seventeen and why they appeal to so many is because while a lot of K-Pop boy groups have the image of bada*s, hardcore, mysterious, unreachable idols, Seventeen actually projects an opposite image. They don't intimidate and they're always smiley. People think doing that kind of image is easy, but in actuality it's difficult. To create a charm that warms people's hearts and cheers people up, and make it effectively come across as genuine is quite tough.

 

Disclaimer: I like Seventeen, though not sure if I'm a fan. I do have interest in K-Pop and its marketing though, as it's always been an interest of mine. Seeing how K-Pop started from something really niche to blowing up internationally made me really interested about the marketing tactics they do so I really like reading analysis and discussions about it. So just treat this post as such as well, a simple analysis from an amateur marketing enthusiast like me.

 

 

 

 

[💲�]

And yet their mv views are so low

[Only 1 U Need Connoisseur]

And yet their mv views are so low

who cares when their sales are over your oppas 

[Hyooga]

And yet their mv views are so low

 

To be fair, I always feel Seventeen's MVs somehow fail to really market their music and performances well. What really showcases their prowess as a group are their stages and interviews. 

 

For one, I'm amazed that their choreography do not really need amazing cinematography to look good. 

[酒�]

theyre somewhat different from other boy groups in SK I know but I can't point out what.

[dante.]

i don't think they appeal very much to international fans at all?  ifans don't like the cutesy flower boy image.

[windy day �]

I hope they really do succeed, but I don't know about international appeal..

[Only 1 U Need Connoisseur]

To be fair, I always feel Seventeen's MVs somehow fail to really market their music and performances well. What really showcases their prowess as a group are their stages and interviews. 

 

For one, I'm amazed that their choreography do not really need amazing cinematography to look good. 

pledis spent more money on their shoes than all of their mvs. sad . 

[Hyooga]

i don't think they appeal very much to international fans at all?  ifans don't like the cutesy flower boy image.

 

A huge percentage of ifans are made up of SEA fans from Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam though and the Seventeen fandom is growing really fast over there

[ethereal]

i don't think they appeal very much to international fans at all?  ifans don't like the cutesy flower boy image.

they don't have a cutesy image, tho

[dante.]

A huge percentage of ifans are made up of SEA fans from Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam though and the Seventeen fandom is growing really fast over there

 

... are they really?  do you have proof?  

they don't have a cutesy image, tho

 

yes they do lol....  all three of their songs fall under cutesy and bubbly and bright

[tkc123]

Hmm, honestly I didnt see them as a group that had international appeal. I know a lot of people that like seventeen because of their variety skills but they despise their music/concept. There was a lot of disappointment from certain Ifans when it was revealed they would be doing another flower boy song for this comeback and people were saying 'why can't they be cool like other boy groups?' (I love their flower boy concepts tbh)

 

They don't really have a fanbase in China but they have a growing one in Japan. Jeonghan seems to be popular amongst their Jfans, some say it's because of the long hair. They could be popular there....but didn't hallyu kinda die in Japan post 2012? they would need heavy promotions and be signed to a good record label to get big there.

 

I like them but I never imagined them being popular internationally. Hopefully they still continue to do decently in Korea but anything can happen. They're going on an Asian tour for a month between August-September and they'll probably have their comeback after that. I'm hoping that they can still hold onto that little public recognition they have in Korea and still maintain a stable fanbase.

 

I think a lot of people are expecting them to hit 'big' but that's kinda pressuring them. All I want for them is to do well tbh.

 

edit: as for the MV views for this comeback, I think it's because of the bad MV. Their stage performances surprisingly have a good number of views.

[StanSEVENTEEN2019]

... are they really?  do you have proof?  

 

 

yes they do lol....  all three of their songs fall under cutesy and bubbly and bright

 

Yeah that's why they already have a fanmeeting in those countries because they have already secure a fanbase. Like here in PH, we already have 30,000+ members in our Official Group. compare to other rookie and sunbae groups, their relevancy here is big. BIGBANG, SJ, BTS, EXO, GOT7, IKON and SEVENTEEN are the most popular here in our country for boy groups.

[ethereal]

yes they do lol....  all three of their songs fall under cutesy and bubbly and bright

bright  and upbeat =/= "cutesey" imo. like, adore u and mansae were not "cutesy" at all.... pretty u ventures more into that territory, but let's talk when there's an excessive amount of aegyo in their vids. people seem to be blurring the line between cutesy and neutral concepts these days. so you're saying if it's not sexy or hip hop it's cutesy? there can't be an in between?

[Skye]

They are a group that is very versatile that's why I think that they can adapt with ifans taste and can appeal them. They can do sexy and cool, then bright and fun. Imo they're a full package grp

 

Yeah that's why they already have a fanmeeting in those countries because they have already secure a fanbase. Like here in PH, we already have 30,000+ members in our Official Group. 

This is true, I'm in the grp too and we have more than 30 thou members 

[Thay]

They need a hit song and then they'll hit big imo   Their Japanese popularity is one of the main signals of their potential.

[JeongBAEHyun]

And yet their mv views are so low

not when they're selling more than your faves...

[JeongBAEHyun]

Yeah that's why they already have a fanmeeting in those countries because they have already secure a fanbase. Like here in PH, we already have 30,000+ members in our Official Group. compare to other rookie and sunbae groups, their relevancy here is big. BIGBANG, SJ, BTS, EXO, GOT7, IKON and SEVENTEEN are the most popular here in our country for boy groups.

SEVENTEEN, and mingyu + Vernon are really popular in PH. (I went to manila once and I played Q&A in the airport. The looks man, the looks girls gave me. 'omg you know the song?!)

[💲�]

not when they're selling more than your faves...

as if I care, this is supposed to be about appeal to int. fans yet their mv views are so low, and their fans have no presence internationally.

[JeongBAEHyun]

i don't think they appeal very much to international fans at all? ifans don't like the cutesy flower boy image.

international appeal =/= western appeal.

 

Japan and China like cutesy and they're still part of the ifans. :deep:

[StanSEVENTEEN2019]

as if I care, this is supposed to be about appeal to int. fans yet their mv views are so low, and their fans have no presence internationally.

 

as long as they are famous in Asian countries, western appeal is irrelevant imo.

[JeongBAEHyun]

as long as they are famous in Asian countries, western appeal is irrelevant imo.

people tend to assume 'internationally relevant = a thousand fans in the u.s.' lmao

[💲�]

people tend to assume 'internationally relevant = a thousand fans in the u.s.' lmao

they did well in world Bilboard charts, I'm not talking about the US.

[Nestea Iced Tea]

To be fair, I always feel Seventeen's MVs somehow fail to really market their music and performances well. What really showcases their prowess as a group are their stages and interviews.

 

For one, I'm amazed that their choreography do not really need amazing cinematography to look good.

Their MVs are lackluster (other than Mansae)...and I'm saying this as a Carat. The MVs simply do not capture their charm and aura. I think I've only watched the official MV for Adore U 3 times and the official MV of Pretty U twice. On the other hand I've watched and rewatched all their live stages. I've watched the showcase performance for Pretty U over 15 times now.

 

Their live performances (and dance practice videos) showcase their skills and personality better.

[aiacandy]

Their MVs are lackluster (other than Mansae)...and I'm saying this as a Carat. The MVs simply do not capture their charm and aura. I think I've only watched the official MV for Adore U 3 times and the official MV of Pretty U twice. On the other hand I've watched and rewatched all their live stages. I've watched the showcase performance for Pretty U over 15 times now.

Their live performances (and dance practice videos) showcase their skills and personality better.

^^^^ This too.

 

I am slowly entering the fandom, and the one thing I noticed is that although Adore U and Mansae were great songs, I didn't get pulled very well by the MVs. As a non-fan, the MV is one of the first things you look at when you're looking up a new group. Even when I watched Pretty U during its first release, I found everything meh. I thought Mansae was the better song and it also has the best MV among the 3. However, when you listen and watch their live performances, everything comes to life. It's not an exaggeration. They translate better live.

Also, their extra clips really help. I wish Pledis made more effort to their MVs, it will really help their popularity grow. I mean, it's a group full of visuals and stan attractors and you're not taking advantage of that with this crappy MV?