How Blackpink Build Their Brand and Become The World Biggest Girl Group?

A lot of people call it Hallyu (Korean Wave). South Korean pop culture has grown in prominence to become a major driver of global culture, seen in everything from K-Dramas on Netflix to Korean skincare regimens dominating the cosmetics industry. At the heart of Hallyu itself, is the ever-growing popularity of K-pop or Korean pop music.

K-pop has become a truly global phenomenon thanks to its distinctive blend of addictive melodies, slick choreography, production values, and an endless parade of attractive South Korean performers who spend years in grueling studio systems learning to sing or dance in synchronized perfection. One of them is Blackpink. It's taken just a few years for Blackpink to become one of the biggest girl bands in the world, from breaking streaming records to causing a storm on the front row of a fashion show, so let's examine together how the four-piece girls became so successful on building their huge brand.

Get To Know Blackpink A Little Bit Better

Some of you probably wondering "who's Blackpink"? Well let me tell you then, they're the most popular K-Pop girl groups in the game right now where their songs often occupy the highest positions on the world's music charts, and even their concert tickets can be sold out in just a few minutes because of their immense popularity. A multitalented K-pop group that's been breaking records as their music captures the attention of a global audience. Yes, it's the four women of Blackpink, namely Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo, and Rosé .

Blackpink is the second girl group under YG Entertainment after 2NE1 (To Anyone/Twenty-One) and debuted with a digital single album titled "Square One". They debuted as a group in 2016, comprise a multilingual performance powerhouse connecting with fans across borders and across nations. The four members of South Korean girl band, who get their name from the mixture of tough "black" and flirty "pink" of their songs, have been global superstars since the release of their August 2016 hit single "Boombayah" and "Whistle".

Their debut was heavily promoted in the K-pop scene as Blackpink was the first girl group from YG Entertainment in seven years. "Boombayah" flew straight out of the gate to hit No. 1 on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart. Their debut songs "Boombayah" and "Whistle" won an award from the music show Inkigayo, after only 13 days since their debut. They also have one of the strongest fanbases ever since the beginning called "BLINKS," a combination of "black" and "pink", stretching far beyond South Korea and already powering their rapid ascent.

In the same year, Blackpink made a comeback by releasing an album titled "Square Two" and making the songs "Playing With Fire" and "Stay" as the main singles. Just like their debut, on this comeback, these songs won on the music shows Inkigayo and M Countdown. The commercial success obtained by Blackpink has also made them win various awards, such as The Asia Artist Awards, Golden Disc Awards, to the Gaon Chart Music Awards. In fact, Billboard also named it one of the best K-Pop groups in 2016.

Blackpink is the highest-charting female K-pop act on the Billboard Hot 100 and the first ever K-pop girl group to top the Billboard 200 at number #1. They are also the first and the only K-pop girl group to have entered and topped Billboard's Emerging Artists chart. Blackpink's song "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" is currently the most-watched music video by any K-pop group on Youtube, boasting a staggering 1.9 billion views. The group's social media following are also breaking records. For example, Lisa, the group's main dancer, and youngest member, is the most-followed K-pop artist on Instagram with more than 80 million followers and rank 39 in the world for the most-followed account.

Since debuting in 2016, Blackpink has been busy not only making music, but collecting accolades left and right. Besides climbing up the charts with their well-received releases, catchy tunes, and killer fashion style, the quartet of Lisa, Jennie, Rosé, and Jisoo has been raking in numerous firsts as an all-female K-pop group. Billboard charts records? Check! New Guinness World Records? Yup! Surpassing Justin Bieber in Youtube subscribers and becoming the most subscribed musical artist in Youtube history? Done! and that's just several of the notable accomplishments the four ladies of Blackpink have achieved in just a few years.

Meet The 4 Blackpink Members

1. Jennie

Jennie was the first member revealed by YG Entertainment to debut under the name of Blackpink on June 1, 2016. Her real name is Kim Jennie, she was born on January 16, 1996 in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. She lived in New Zealand for a moment before she finally moved back to South Korea in 2010 and speaks fluent English, Japanese, and Korean. In Blackpink, Jennie has a position as a rapper as well as a songwriter. Jennie has been a trainee at YG Entertainment when she was only 14 years old, since 2010 to be exact. She is also considered to be a "YG Princess" because she was the longest trainee, had multiple pre-debut activities, and was one of YG's best trainees so it's obvious that she would be the first member revealed.

Before debuting as a member of Blackpink, Jennie has modeled several times and even collaborated with other YG artists. One of them is being a model in G-Dragon's music video titled "That XX". Until now, the song is still often used as a backsound on the Tiktok platform. Not only being a music video model, Jennie also had a duet on the Inkigayo music show stage with G-Dragon for a song called "Black". Jennie even participated in a variety show titled "Village Survival, The Eight" on the SBS channel in 2018 and was a guest star on "Running Man" episode 409, along with Jisoo, another member of Blackpink.

In November 2018, Jennie made her solo debut with her first single album titled "Solo". She was the first member of Blackpink to release an individual track. The music video showcased her versatility as both a rapper and singer, while further establishing her as a fashion icon through the more than 20 outfits worn within the three-minute clip. A month after her solo debut, it was reported that Jennie was in a relationship with a male K-pop artist, Kai, a member of EXO. This caused a huge controversy and the shocking news was immediately posted by many local media. Later, each agency confirmed that the two were really indeed in dating status. Unfortunately, on January 25, 2019, their relationship was suddenly reported to have ended and this was confirmed by SM Entertainment (Kai Agency).

Here Are Some Interesting Facts about Jennie:

• She's the Main Rapper and Vocalist in the group.
• Had dated Kai from EXO
• Jennie is the only child in her family.
• Global Brand Ambassador for Channel.
• A multilingual idol who is proficient in 3 languages
• Her favorite colors are black and pink.
• Ranked 18th of the most beautiful woman in "The 100 Most Beautiful Faces of 2017".

2. Jisoo

The oldest member in the group, Jisoo is a singer, often referred to as Blackpink's mood-maker. She has a quirky sense of humor and known for generating on-the-spot songs about any topic. Jisoo acted in a number of music videos and commercials in her pre-Blackpink years. Although she is the only member who does not speak English fluently, the vocalist is nevertheless a trilingual, able to speak Korean, Japanese and Chinese. Jisoo is the third member revealed by YG Entertainment to debut with Blackpink on June 15, 2016. Her real name is Kim Jisoo, born on January 3, 1996 in Gunpo-si, South Korea. In Blackpink, Jisoo has a position as a lead vocalist. Actually, Jisoo has been predicted to be a member of the upcoming YG Entertainment girl group since 2013, then successfully debuted three years later with Blackpink.

Before debuting as a member of Blackpink, Jisoo often served as an advertising model with their seniors, one of those is a Smart Uniform advertisement Jisoo did with iKON. Not only that, Jisoo also often became a model for many music videos, one of which belongs to the duet of Lee Hi and Suhyun titled "I'm Different". Jisoo is a member of Blackpink who often "plays" in the world of acting and always showcases her interest in the acting career. She successfully appeared as a guest star in the drama "The Producers" (2015) on the KBS channel with seniors from her agency, Sandara Park and Kang Seung Yoon. During a 2019 appearance on The Late Show with James Corden, Jisoo's unflappable calm impressed Corden when they played a game called "Flinch with Blackpink" where the game itself involves a guest standing behind a glass wall in anticipation of the host firing fruits and vegetables at them at high speed.

In 2020, Jisoo managed to return to acting and even got her first main role in a drama titled "Snowdrop" on the JTBC channel. Many netizens praised Jisoo's acting because it looked so natural, she even won an award at the 17th Seoul International Drama Awards for her role in the highly acclaimed K-drama, "Snowdrop". Winning the category in 'Outstanding Performance of Korean Drama of the Year - Actress' or simply the 'Outstanding Korean Actress,' she beat out Lee Seyoung, who had been nominated for her performance in "The Red Sleeve Cuff" and Son Yejin, who had been nominated for her role in "Thirty-Nine". In the drama "Snowdrop", it tells the story of a romance between two lovebirds who have different nationalities and use a historical background of the 1987 Democracy Movement. In that year, South Korea was indeed experiencing a serious conflict.

Here Are Some Interesting Facts about Jisoo:

• Joined YG Entertainment in 2011 at the age of 16.
• Had received an offer from another agency, SM Entertainment.
• Jisoo is in charge of the group's Lead Vocalist and Main Visual positions.
• Brand Ambassadors for several well-known brands, such as KISS ME (2018), Dior Beauty (2019), MICHAA (2021), Dior (2021), and CELEBs (2021).
• Often touted as Miss Korea by Knetz. (Korean Netizen)
• Topped the line of the 10 Most Beautiful Women in the World 2022 version of Nubia Magazine.
• Jisoo is the youngest child in her family.
• Fans' favorite nicknames for her are Chi Choo and Jichu.

3. Lisa

Lisa is the second member to be revealed by YG Entertainment for the girl group Blackpink on June 5, 2016. Her real name is Pranpriya Manoban who later became known as Lalisa Manoban, born on March 27, 1997 in Buriram, Thailand. When she performs with Blackpink, she's known as Lisa. Lisa's birth name was indeed Pranpriya Manoban. However, this artist legally changed her name to Lalisa Manoban. The reasoning behind this change, according to some fans, had to do with a unique fortune-telling experience she encountered before. She was told that the latter name would give her luck. 'Lalisa' means 'one who will receive praises' in Thai. However, she wouldn't be the only Blackpink member who adopted another name for this girl group. Roseanne Park for example, with her Korean name being Park Chaeyoung, she performs under the name of Rosé. Meanwhile, Jennie and Jisoo use their real names while performing with Blackpink.

Lisa can be called the first Thai idol to successfully debut under YG Entertainment (The Top 3 Entertainment Companies in South Korea). In her group, Lisa has a position as a rapper and vocalist. She is close friends with GOT7's member, Bambam, they both are from Thailand and joined the We Zaa Cool dance crew as a kid. In 2010, Lisa attended an audition held by YG Entertainment in Thailand and she was the only one who made it through after beating around 4,000 other applicants. Can you imagine that? that's really impressive knowing is not easy to join YG Entertainment, let alone got accepted on the first try. Lisa also became the first foreign trainee at YG Entertainment in April 2011. In 2018, Lisa debuted as a member of the military-themed variety show "Real Men 300" on the MBC channel. At the event, Lisa became part of the Korean Army Academy with actors, actresses, and several other idols, like Hongseok, Lee Su-Bin, and Matthew Douma.

Lisa also made her solo debut in September 2021 with her first single album titled "Lalisa" and the title song "Money". Until now, this song is still often used as a background sound on various platforms, one of which is Tiktok and became a viral sensation. That year, Lisa also appeared with her seniors from iKON on the survival show "Kingdom" for the song "Classy Savage" (Remix of "Pretty Savage"). Many participants were surprised and did not expect Lisa would come to appear at the event. Even though she comes from Thailand, Lisa is still fluent in Korean and a little Chinese, which is why she was lined up to become a dance mentor on a Chinese survival show called "Youth With You 3". Lisa also continues to work as a model for various advertisements, ranging from cosmetic products, Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphone, to the largest GSM card in Thailand.

Here Are Some Interesting Facts about Lisa:

• Occupying the position of dancer, rapper, and vocalist in the group.
• Became a trainee at the age of 14.
• Lisa is the only child in the family.
• Her stepfather, Marco Brueschweiler, is a top certified Swiss chef in Thailand.
• Completed her secondary education at Praphamontree School 1 and 2.
• Not only mastering Korean, but Lisa is also fluent in English, Thai, and Japanese.
• Brand Ambassadors for Celine and MAC Cosmetic.

4. Rosé 

Rosé  is the fourth and last member revealed by YG Entertainment for Blackpink on June 22, 2016. Her real name is Roseanne Park, born in Auckland, New Zealand, on February 11, 1997. Since Rosé was born in New Zealand and has South Korean citizenship, she also has a Korean name, Park Chae Young. In her group, Rosé  is the main vocalist. Before becoming a trainee at YG Entertainment, Rosé often performed with the church choir team.

When she was 15 years old, Rosé was advised by his father to attend an audition which at that time was being held by YG Entertainment in Australia and managed to rank first by beating around 700 participants. Amazing right? Then in two months, Rosé signed a label contract with YG Entertainment and moved all the way to South Korea. Rosé  is known to have three nationalities, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea, because when she was a kid she moved to Australia. In 2012 after she signed the contract, Rosé was given the opportunity to feature on her senior G-Dragon's song "Without You". However, her name was not published at that time and the credit on her name was revealed after she officially became a member of Blackpink.

In 2018, YG Entertainment announced that three Blackpink members, Jennie, Lisa, and Rosé  would be making solo debuts but at that time, only Jennie made her debut. Two years later, YG Entertainment announced again that Rosé  would actually be making a solo debut in September following the release of Blackpink's first studio album titled "The Album". In January 2021, Blackpink was holding their first online concert (because of the Covid-19 pandemic) and Rosé sang a new song called "Gone", which turned out to be included in her solo album. Finally, in March 2021, Rosé managed to debut with her first single album titled "-R-". Rosé continues to reap achievements along the way with the release of the album "-R-" which became her solo debut in the music world. Rosé also released a music video for one of the songs on the album titled "On The Ground". As expected, this long-awaited solo album was immediately greeted with very high enthusiasm by fans. YG Entertainment announced that Rosé's solo single album sales had reached half a million units. This figure represents the total single album sales of CD album units, kit album units, and LP units. With this achievement, Rosé has successfully broken the record as a solo female idol in South Korea with the most album pre-sales at the time.

Here Are Some Interesting Facts about Rosé :

• Has an interest in art and music from an early age.
• Good at singing, writing songs, and playing musical instruments.
• Occupying the position of Main Vocalist and Lead Dancer in the group.
• Brand Ambassadors for various brands in the world from Tiffany & Co. to Yves Saint Laurent.
• Has a pet dog named Hank who even has his own Instagram account @hank_says_hank.
• Rosé is left-handed.

The History of Blackpink

Formed by YG Entertainment on August 8, 2016. Three of the four members have foreign backgrounds. Jennie was born in Korea but spent much of her life in New Zealand, Rosé was born in New Zealand but grew up in Australia, and Lisa is a native of Thailand, making Jisoo the sole member born and raised in South Korea. August 26 marked the debut single album "Square One", with both tracks "Boombayah" and "Whistle" getting the title treatment. They were immediately well-received, with both tracks shooting up to first and second place on the Billboard World Digital Songs Chart, making them the fastest group to accomplish this and join labelmates PSY and BIGBANG at the top. Just days after their debut, they grabbed their first music show win and broke the record for the shortest time for a girl group to win on a music program.

The single album "Square Two", the group's first comeback, came swiftly in November of 2016, with another double title comeback. Despite only having four tracks to their name, the girls won many major awards during the 2016's awards season. 2017 only saw the group release a single called "As If It's Your Last," a song that took a different turn from previous releases with a heavier EDM influence and a different approach to the group's capitalized 'girl crush' concept.

While Blackpink enjoyed massive success in South Korea and general recognition worldwide, the true complete breakthrough came in 2018 with the release of their first mini-album "Square Up" and title track "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du." As it currently stands, the title track music video holds almost 2 billion views on Youtube. This release brought on worldwide massive success to the girls and lead to their first world tour at the end of 2018. They also became one of the first highly recognized K-Pop acts to begin collaborating with western artists where Dua Lipa was the first singer to release a collaboration with them back in 2018.

YG Entertainment stated in 2018 that they intend to have each member of Blackpink have a solo debut, the announcement shortly followed by a schedule for Jennie's solo release. Late 2018 saw her first single "Solo", with reception and success on par with her group's full releases. Two years later, YG finally announced the intent to have the other girls release their solo work. Blinks would have to wait almost a year to hear something new from the group, which came in the form of the title track "Kill This Love" and a mini-album of the same name in the first half of 2019. Shortly after the release, the girls became the first K-Pop girl group to perform at the massive western music festival, Coachella.

Over a year later, a new comeback was finally announced after months of being pushed back, along with a new collaboration titled "Sour Candy" with pop icon, Lady Gaga. In 2020 alone, Blackpink released "How You Like That" in June, "Ice Cream" in August, featuring Selena Gomez and their first studio album titled "The Album" in October. They also garnered massive success with "Lovesick Girls," which gained the number 2 position on Global 200. The Global 200 is calculated with the help of sales and streaming data acquired from more than 200 regions.

Blackpink also made history with "Pink Venom" by becoming the first girl group ever to garner number 1 spot on the Billboard 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts. Additionally, their latest song from their second studio album, "Born Pink", became the fastest K-pop music video of 2022 to cross the 200-million-view mark. Among other impressive achievements, "Pink Venom" also became the first K-pop song to top the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)'s Singles Chart. Moreover, the South Korean girl group is also the first female K-pop act to top Spotify's Global Top 50 List.

How Did Blackpink Become The Biggest Girl Group In The World?

Blackpink only needed less than 4 minutes to blow Jeremy Erlich's mind. Erlich was working at Interscope Records (an American record label) when a contact in South Korea sent him the video for "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du," the lead single from Blackpink's 2018 first EP. "Put aside the fact that I couldn't understand half of it, the visuals are incredible, the girls are stars, the music is good and it's catchy," he said. Erlich then set up a meeting with YG Entertainment Inc., during which the South Korean music giant outlined the goals for its new four-member girl group. "The ambition was to be the biggest band in the world" stated Erlich.

That dream is now a reality. Blackpink has been the most popular act on Youtube for the past couple of years, generating more than 28 billion views in total on their Youtube account alone. All told, Blackpink is the biggest music act in the world, according to Bloomberg's Pop Star Power Rankings. Blackpink has achieved a level of global popularity unprecedented in the history of the music industry. Musicians that speak English have traveled all over the world for decades. Musicians that speak Spanish have started to top the charts across the western hemisphere over the last decade but only in the past couple of years have acts from Asia developed such strong followings across the U.S., Europe, and Latin America.

Prior to the internet, overseas bands had to tour, or rely on radio play and TV appearances to develop a fanbase in the U.S., the world's largest music market, or in Western Europe, which is home to several major markets but social media, paired with global distribution from Youtube and Spotify, has enabled K-Pop bands to develop followings all over the world with minimal touring. The U.S., Brazil, and Mexico are three of the six biggest markets on Spotify for Blackpink's single like "Lovesick Girls."

"Language doesn't seem to be a barrier in today's world," told Erlich, who is now Spotify's co-head of music. Asian pop groups have been traveling to the west for a couple of decades now, dating back to Japan's Arashi and South Korea's BIGBANG but the groups never sustained a large following outside of Asia but it's Blackpink, whose members speak English, Thai, Korean, Mandarin and Japanese, that broke through first. Blackpink planted its flag in the U.S. a few years back, building a promotional tour around a performance at Coachella, the largest music festival in North America. The band received strong reviews from the local press and further boosted their global fandom with a tour of Europe.

Blackpink's growing support in the U.S. was enough to convince Kelly Deen, the vice president of global brand marketing for Jazwares LLC, a Florida-based toy company, that the time was right to bet on K-Pop as a new global phenomenon. Jazwares has a habit of spotting trends early and turning them into top sellers. In just the past few years, Jazwares has created toy lines based on the popular Youtube channels Cocomelon and Blippi, on a Pokemon game, and on Ultimate Fighting Championship. It's a field in which the key to success is timing and unique promotion. Bet on a trend too early, and nobody buys the toys. Bet too late, and your competitors will beat you to it. In 2020, Jazwares released a new line of toys based on the four members of Blackpink.

The success of Blackpink reminds entertainment executive, Van Toffler, of the rise of NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys in the late 1990s and early 2000s. At the time, Toffler was running MTV, the most popular music cable network in the world, when a few pop groups emerged from what he calls "the Orlando school," a euphemism for "The All-New Mickey Mouse Club," a popular and influential show on The Disney Channel. Bands affiliated with the program ruled the charts of MTV's "Total Request Live," a daily show that was a key barometer of pop stardom.

Like those boy bands, today's K-Pop stars have been put through a rigorous audition and training program. "They can dance and sing, they get along and are great on camera," Toffler said but unlike those boy bands, they are multilingual, which gives them even more global appeal. All of this made Blackpink the perfect opening act for Toffler's new Youtube show, "Released," which highlights the best upcoming music for any given week. The four performers answered questions about their vices and tics.

We have to understand that Blackpink has a global plan on how they reached a wider audience and international recognition to become the biggest girl group in the world. They signed to US-based Interscope Records in late 2018, a direct play for the American market and something no South Korean girl group had tried since Girls' Generation in 2012 (which was a long time ago). They tend to focus more on international promotion rather than a domestic one. Their skill and experience also come into play, Blackpink, no matter what, must always deliver their best when they're performing and they did. Most K-pop-unaware audience at Coachella, hearing the versatility of the group's songs and voice, felt so ecstatic and it was like an experience for them, earning Blackpink a rave review.

The Way Blackpink Build Their Brand

Marketers are all about creating relevant work that reflects the zeitgeist (the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time). Clearly, this is easier said than done. Over the past few years, the pandemic has upended our lives in many ways including how we consume content. While marketers try to figure out how best to engage with consumers in this climate, the world's largest girl band, Blackpink, continues to smash records and capture the hearts of millions around the world.

Their debut studio album called "The Album" topped Billboard charts and set record-breaking album sales, their second studio album titled "Born Pink" which came out this year, hit number #1 on Billboard 200. In 2022, they still hold the top spot of the music group with the most Youtube subscribers -- more than 83 million. All it took for Blackpink to achieve that was less than six years and they become the biggest girl group on the planet.

So what does it take to be at the forefront of popular culture, build a diverse global brand, and connect meaningfully with audiences? Here's what we can learn from Blackpink's Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa on brand building.

• Get real to make deeper connections

The group's belief in putting their most authentic selves forward begins with their name. When asked which word captures what Blackpink stands for, the members explained that there is no single definition of their group's name. "Blackpink" represents the group's multidimensional nature, highlighting the versatility of their fashion, music, and performances.

"It's hard to define Blackpink in one word because we are more than just one thing. Instead of defining so specifically who we are, we incorporate lyrics and themes that reflect who we are as individuals and as a group." Jennie said.

Rather than sticking to tried-and-tested industry conventions, the group has amassed millions of loyal fans, known as BLINKs, by being authentic, original, and unapologetically themselves. Whether they're exploring high-powered beats or creating soft ballads and bubblegum pop, they've stayed true to their band's unique identity. "It's just like our lyrics, 'We were black, we were pink' in the song 'Pretty Savage'. We're free to showcase different sides to ourselves and be confident about it." told Lisa.

Authenticity is also about getting up close and personal. Blackpink lets fans get a glimpse of their raw, unfiltered selves in their Youtube video series, "Blackpink Diaries", which captures behind-the-scenes snippets of the band's first world tour back in 2019. Stepping away from the glitz and glamor, the girls invite fans into their world to see the real people who make up Blackpink, helping the group connect with their audience on a deeper level.

Now here's what marketers can learn: The advertising industry will always be unpredictable and fraught with challenges, but authenticity will never fail to resonate with audiences and build customer loyalty.

• Diverse voices speak volumes

They may be a K-pop band based in South Korea, but Blackpink's diverse origins have helped them break through cultural barriers to connect with audiences from different regions.

With members from four different countries who speak five languages, it's little wonder their music has gone mainstream. "Through our work, many people around the world are getting to know more about Korea and our culture. But there is a heightened sense of responsibility as our music is influencing people from all over the world." Jennie said.

Blackpink has been adept at using video to bring their culturally diverse ideas and creativity to a global audience. By using video to showcase their art, they inspire other creators to do likewise. "We were able to dream of all these creative ideas, bring them all to life, and spread what we have created to such a global audience. We hope that we're giving out a positive influence on all the upcoming artists who are hungry to create and impact current and future generations." Rosé  said.

Blackpink's successful use of online spaces to transcend cultural boundaries shows that embracing diverse representations and delivering culturally relevant content drives more impactful audience engagement. To increase reliability and establish a worldwide presence, marketers need to incorporate diverse voices into brand building.

• Embrace the power of music and digital video

Today's music industry is a digital-first one. Over two billion people use Youtube to experience music each month. As an open platform that supports a global ecosystem of music partners and creators, Youtube engages audiences in different regions by bringing together local and global music.

"Artists and creators from many different countries can now easily share things about their own countries through video. And because of that, online platforms like Youtube play a very important culture-shaping role in the media landscape." Jisoo said.

In January 2021, Blackpink performed their first-ever paid online concert, "THE SHOW," on Youtube, captivating more than 280,000 fans from around the world who experienced the spectacular Livestream event. A few months earlier, their music video for "How You Like That" reached 100 million Youtube views in just 32 hours and at the time, it was the fastest video in Youtube history to achieve this feat.

Because physical concerts were canceled and venues closed due to the pandemic, artists and fans are using online music streaming platforms to interact. Although the girls still want to meet their fans in person, they recognize that Youtube and digital video will be their primary means of engaging with fans for the foreseeable future.

The pandemic may have created obstacles, but it's also resulted in new ways for marketers to reach captive audiences, especially in music. If digital music is the center of today's global culture, then its greatest stage is online streaming video platforms such as Youtube.

Brands looking to connect with this new generation of consumers need to consider partnering with music creators such as Blackpink in their new video of advertising strategy. For instance, they can tap into Youtube's Top Charts Lineups to align themselves with the hottest music videos and artists in any country.

To connect deeply with audiences the way Blackpink does with their fans, brands would do well to embrace authenticity and diversity while harnessing the emotive power of online video to reach consumers as they immerse themselves in the content they enjoy.