I was watching EXO music videos today and their music is honestly so good. It got me thinking about past discussions that EXO could have been as huge as BTS and BP if SM had actually promoted them properly overseas, and now I’m wondering how realistic that even is. They no doubt have great music, visuals, strong vocalists, a huge fandom and were massive across Asia. I do think that SM did not really go all out with them internationally. But would promotions alone have actually been enough to get them as big as BTS/BP?
Something I do find interesting is what actually made people get so hooked on BTS and BP in the first place. Social media obviously played a huge part, especially with BTS, and timing mattered a lot too. Was it the members and their personalities, music, their vibe or how they presented their concepts. But I feel like it was more than just good marketing.
If it was mainly just about promotions, you would think it will be easier to achieve now with 4th and 5th gen groups. There were a good amount of successful 3rd gen groups with great music and big fandoms, and now 4th and 5th gen groups have access to much bigger international marketing, social media, and global infrastructure than groups back then. But reaching that same level of worldwide cultural impact still feels incredibly hard. And even though both groups are older now they are still just as popular.
I know SM fumbled the bag with EXO and RV and I do think they could have been so much more bigger globally if promoted right. If SM had given EXO aggressive and consistent international promotion at the right time like US appearances, touring, and global marketing, do you think they had the potential to have reached that level of stardom or realistically how far could they have gone?
The same applies to 4th and 5th gen groups too. What will it actually take for newer gen groups to reach or even come close to that level of fame and popularity. There are kpop songs that go viral, but a viral song does not necessarily translate into long-term staying power. We don’t seem to have one or two 4th-5th gen groups dominating across every area like sales, streaming and touring both domestically and internationally in the same way as BTS/BP. What can labels do differently with groups to create that kind of across the board impact?
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