that millions of K-pop Fans, hello82 has been a destination to see their favorite idols Facing viral challengesAnd the Play Celebrity BabysitterAnd the Try karaoke in foreign languages And stand out in other ready-to-share videos. But in the past year, the company behind multilingual YouTube channels has expanded its e-commerce offering to better cater to its viewers' desires. The results led the four-year-old company to success painting charts, and, as of last week, completing their first "tour".
explore
explore
Watch the latest videos, charts and news
Watch the latest videos, charts and news
When dearTheir first US show since 2019 kicked off in January for The Fellowship: Beginning of the End Tour, the band was selling out arenas but didn't have to break into the Top 40. plate 200 Like many K-pop Peers. While the relationship with the Korean management label KQ Entertainment led to the emergence of The most viewed video on the channel (An 11-minute prank of ATEEZ member San disguised as an elder to dance has had over 32 million views), hello82 saw an opportunity to better connect with ATINY fans live in the US.
With offices in Los Angeles, Hello 82 He spent 2021 becoming a reliable center For international K-pop fans to shop for physical album imports, merchandise, virtual experiences such as live events, and artist fan calls during the pandemic after COVID-19 concerns forced the company to expand into various offerings. Physical album distribution in the United States helped Korean artists soar painting albums chart (thanks to its release in deluxe collectible packages, each containing a standard set of items and random items). see hello82 how expanding their e-commerce channels can create new business opportunity and at the same time introduce the same community aspect they are looking to develop with their video content.
“We just wanted to meet where the demand was with the supply,” says Sang H. Cho, co-founder of hello82 parent KAI Media and current COO, from his Beverly Hills office. "We felt that quite a few K-pop groups were well represented and were getting the kind of recognition or recognition they deserve when it comes to things like charts. We're obviously a company that wants to make money, but we also understand the fans and their psychology and their needs as well. Get them involved and make them They feel a sense of accomplishment and community. And obviously we knew there was an opportunity for all of us to make it happen together."
What started in 2021 with ATEEZ distributing my two albums from a virtual storefront - September Zero: Fever Part 3, which peaked at no. 42 on the Billboard 200, followed by December Zero: Fever finale villa. 72- Turned into greater ambitions for Otiz World EP.1: The Movement The album was released last July. Not only was this ATEEZ's first release after reuniting with their ATINY fans during their early 2022 tour, but it also sparked a new musical era for the group.
"We saw the potential to make it much bigger," says Chu, with his team looking to both large traditional retailers along with local fan-led pop-up stores to bring them to life.
The chain's supermarkets were increasingly carrying more K-pop content, but almost exclusively by those with deals or representation in the United States. . (RCA declined to comment by time of publication on its relationship with ATEEZ) With Cho's background in retail finance, as well as other insider relationships, hello82 has made quick inroads.
"There are two retailers who understand and know the K-pop market well: Target is one, Barnes & Nobles is another, and we've worked with those two very extensively," says Cho. “These people don't necessarily buy from new suppliers very easily - especially when it comes to physical media, but we've been fortunate enough to know some people who can get us in front of those buyers fairly quickly in a formal way and make sure we tick all the boxes to make sure we are eligible for it."
The move immediately connected hello82 and finally, the ATEEZ album to some of the biggest retail giants in the world. World EP.1: The Movement It was available online and in Barnes & Noble stores, as well as the online stores of Target, Walmart, and FYE. "Margins are thin at the big retailers," says Chu. "But they also give you a lot of coverage and you get more fans who aren't close to places like big cities, so we're happy with that." There are hopes that upcoming ATEEZ projects will be in physical Target Stores.
However, perhaps the most important part of their scheme's goals was to create more than a dozen pop-up stores across the country alongside directly with fans. With hello82 reps in every store, local ATINY volunteers (some reached out on social media before the company could even place a call for help) after being vetted by the team to help out at their local locations that are decorated with photo walls, gifts, and custom merchandise.
Chu says of the 19 pop-up stores they have in hotspots like Chicago and Atlanta, but also in smaller cities like Yuma and Arizona. and Southfield, Michigan. Use of existing coffee shops and stores (some very familiar to K-Pop fans such as NYC and LA's LINE Friends stores selling BTSBT21 f TreasuresTRUZ products), fans can pick up their copy of World EP.1an exclusive box version prepared by hello82, and communicate with other ATINY personally.
“Doing popups has its advantages; it can be flexible in terms of locations and timing and all that,” Chu reflects. “I just feel like K-pop fans in certain regions now deserve a place where they can go to hang out, not just access all the productions and albums. Those fans just love to get together. And it's not just K-pop fans, I feel like it's all about most fans: I'm a big Philadelphia Eagles football fan and I'd like to go to a sports bar just to hang out with the other goofy MFers from Philly."
The strategy broke Atiz with World EP.1: The Movement opening at no. 3 on the Billboard 200 (behind Beyonce And the bad bunny) with 50,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending in August. 4, and album sales accounted for 47,000 of that total, according to Luminate. The group has earned 86,000 US-equivalent album units through December 3. 1.
The first week saw a huge jump from the inaugural sales of the Fever finale (which earned 16,000 units in the first week) and Fever part 3 (13,000). Along with KAI Media co-founder and current CEO Jae Yoon Choi, Cho stresses an ongoing dialogue with painting and Luminate to ensure "we do everything by the book."
"It's the first time we've done it on this scale, so there were obviously some hiccups, but the week of release was actually very uneventful," he recalled. "We kind of knew where we were going, but you never know... when we were at the top of the charts, I mean, obviously we were energized. Not just us, but with the fans we got a lot of 'thanks' and 'cool jobs.'" Our community manager who spoke to a lot of these people directly also shared a moment of tears of joy almost on the day of release and then at the end, when the charts officially came out. So, it was exciting."
The company kept that energy alive with pop-up stores throughout the 11 North American dates of ATEEZ's The Fellowship: Break the Wall, the group's second outing in 2022 and its most expansive yet. Each of the seven cities on the trip, along with two that were not on the tour route, set up shop for at least two days each as their official pop-up of touring merchandise.
"After the successful distribution of the album, we are now distributing merch pairings with their upcoming North American tour," explains Cho. “We have always viewed ourselves as a bridge for management companies between South Korea and the US market, as we can help them connect directly with their fans here and create a lasting fan base.”
Stores opened in Los Angeles and Oakland ahead of November at ATEEZ. 7 and 8 shows at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Fans can obtain new items such as jackets and T-shirts while participating in activities such as writing sticky note messages for ATEEZ.
with the final stop of the tour in Toronto on December 3. 2, hello82 showcased what may be their most explicit project yet when they played the "Project Star 117 - From ATINY to ATEEZ" video that played during the show with on-camera messages from fans and sticky notes written by pop-up attendees. The detachment itself watched with an honest look and led to the commander Hongjoong Crouching from crying. The officially uploaded video garnered more than 50,000 views in less than five days.
hello82 is not a company dedicated to serving music, but they monitor industry trends and consumer behavior to consider new business.
He adds, "The music industry is now kind of maturing into this real mix of on-demand mass consumption of music, but also this energetic, passionate kind of mass activity as well as it drives a lot of the commercial." “I think all of these things have always been a part of the music business, but it's coming back with a vengeance now and we want to be involved in all of that. The K-pop audience, the K-pop fans, are kind of at the forefront of all of these activities, so, we see a bright financial future and our investors They do that too."
Chu notes that ATEEZ's strategies have attracted interest from other artists and companies looking to influence America. However, the company is interested in partners who are highly engaged with fans and "experiment a little bit". There are also hopes for the company to move its business beyond North America and "we hope to eventually expand into other underserved markets around the world."
While Zhou and his co-workers directly discuss high-profile plans with the ATEEZ team ("Credit goes to KQ for having the foresight and ATEEZ for being a great band—they were kind enough to give us a chance, and were willing to risk a lot"), they also work at retailer hello82. by themselves.
"We make sure everyone takes turns," says Cho. "The look and joy you see on fans' faces - especially when you pull out their photo card - that's what makes our day."
Source link
0 Comments