By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Bojana Doneva
Videos = Beat Interactive, The 7th Sense

An unknown author once said, “Those at the top of the mountain didn't fall there.” In other words, the road to success is lengthy. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to achieve one’s goals. While some might fall off the track along the way, others will persevere until the end. That saying rings particularly true for the Korean entertainment industry and the K-pop scene in general. Due to personal curiosity, I decided to set out on an online journey in order to discover what marketing strategies Korean artists utilize to help boost their popularity outside of Korea.

Being a Korean pop star is hard. Succeeding as one is even more challenging. It's widely known among K-pop followers that the number of new, debuting groups continues to rise every year. This increased competition pressures the entertainment companies to search for the best ways to promote their stars in order to have them emerge at the top of the ocean of new, rival artists. Financially stable entertainment agencies like SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment -- often referred to as the "Big Three" of K-pop talent agencies -- don't need to promote their new groups as much as other agencies due to their long-established connections in the music industry. However, smaller companies have to go that extra mile to prove their artists’ worth to broadcasting stations and music program producers if they want to secure a spot on TV or on the air. Since the chances of getting an invitation for a TV appearance are slim, many labels start looking for alternative ways to promote their new talents, both domestically and internationally.

Over the past three to four years, the use of social media has turned into a successful marketing technique for promoting K-pop acts outside of Korea. More and more Korean agencies depend on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to introduce their artists on the global music scene. A very successful example would be the rookie group A.C.E, stylized as "A.C.E". They found a great way to utilize the power of social media for promotional purposes long before their official debut.



A.C.E is a five-member group under Beat Interactive. It debuted earlier this year on May 23 with the single "Cactus." The group members are leader Jun, Donghun, Wow, Jason and the youngest, Chan. Last week on Oct. 18, the group made a powerful comeback with its second single, “Callin'”. I contacted A.C.E's agency, Beat Interactive, for a short interview, hoping to help international fans discover more about their favorite group. Despite its busy schedule, the group made sure to answer our questions.

1. Please introduce yourself.

A.C.E: Hello. We're A.C.E. The name stands for "Adventure Calling Emotions" and we benchmarked the TV show "Infinite Challenge." On the show, they say that they're far from perfect, but they show it to the audience that way and they always do their best to bring laughter and to move people's hearts. Our five members may lack something or be a bit too normal, but we came together as a group and we want to pursue our dreams, against any adversity, and to become heroes on the music scene.

Jun is our team leader and lead vocals, and also dances. Donghun is also one of our main vocals. Wow and Jason do dance, vocals and rap. Chan is a vocalist and is the youngest.

2. Please introduce one of your new songs.

Jason: The main concept of our second single "Callin'" is a call or summons and we've incorporated hard style music, which belongs to electronic dance music (EDM), into K-pop. We used a powerful synthesizer and the song, with 155 beats per minute, is faster than our debut song "Cactus," so you'll be able to see more powerful and cooler choreography.

The title song talks about the growth of young men who are ready to answer the calling of the world, and also about their passion and youth.

3. What role do you think busking played, before your debut? How did you do it?

Jun: We tried to show how we grew as performers. The start was simply uploading our practice videos to YouTube. Our team thought about what our next step should be. Our agency isn't big and we didn't have any singers in the agency who came through before and who had gone through this before. So we were thinking about what we would be good at, and busking came to mind.

We decided to do everything from the beginning to the end all by ourselves. So we chose the setup, choreography and order, and we even moved the equipment and drove ourselves there. It was hard because the five members had to cooperate and we had never done this before. However, this period helped us grow and brought us closer together as a group.

Chan: Like he said. It helped us a lot. Especially before our debut, we covered many other songs by artists who came before us because we didn't have our own songs yet at that time. In the process, we got to watch performances of other singers many times and learn what colors and charms each has.

Most importantly, we learned how to communicate with the audience and how to keep going spontaneously. We were able to spot right away what songs or dances people like, on the spot.

Also, we really appreciate the support from the audience and we realized how valuable the fans are.

4. How do you get closer to your fans?

Jun: We had to wait a long time before our debut, so we're especially thankful to our fans. Before debuting, we met our fans on the streets when busking. We also communicated with our fans on social media. We always monitor our performances and we found that there were a lot of fans out there supporting us.

We haven't been able to show our gratitude enough to all of them, but we're making an effort to get closer to them all. We chat live online, leave comments, do live videos and say hello to them when we're on music programs, even if only for a very short spot. We know that's not enough, but we want to return what we've received from them.

5. How about sending out a message to all your fans overseas?

Jun: We've just started our journey. We're excited to wait and see what we'll be able to show our fans. We'll try our best to be a proud artist for those who love us, so please keep an eye on us and support us. We'd be really appreciative of your love for our song "Callin'," too. Thank you.

Donghun: We managed to come this far, so we'll do our best from now on. We want to show you how we grow little by little, so please look forward to seeing our growth. Your love and support is really appreciated.

Wow: I'll work hard to be a team member who can really wow people! Your love for our song "Callin'" is really important. Thank you!

Jason: We'll strive to show you our best, so please keep sending us your support. Thank you.

Chan: We'll do our best in everything, and I'll do my part as the youngest by delivering positive energy. Thank you!

Recently, the Bulgarian online radio show “Friday Chopsticks” conducted a survey among A.C.E's fans in order to learn how the group members managed to capture their international fans’ hearts. Results further prove that, when used wisely, social media can be an extremely powerful marketing tool. The survey was conducted online over the span of four days. Over 660 participants from 65 different countries took part in it. The pie chart below includes only the top 10 participating countries with their total percentages amounting to 53 percent of all survey participants, or 362 fans. The remaining 47 percent comes from other countries.





When asked how they first learned about A.C.E, 62 percent said YouTube as the main reason for their lucky discovery. In second place, with 19 percent, came people who learned about A.C.E through social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). Almost half of the people (49.7 percent) further added that they learned about the group during its pre-debut days thanks to their street dance videos to various other K-pop hit songs.

When asked about A.C.E's unique charms as a group, many fans said that, “The group's debut was amazing and they have a vibe unlike any other rookie group.” Another respondent further mentioned that, “A.C.E isn't afraid to step out of the box and try new things musically and concept-wise.”

What fans appreciate most about A.C.E is that, “It has a special bond with its fans.” A.C.E always makes sure to take care of its fans. They even recorded an English version of the debut track "Cactus" for international fans to enjoy. Many fans also love, “The fact that the group still performs on the streets, even after having debuted,” making them approachable and friendly.

Here is a wonderful dance cover of A.C.E's song "Cactus" by former K-pop dance instructor Stephanie Chertsova, showing the group’s truly international fan base.

In recent years, social media has helped boost the popularity of various companies and brands worldwide. It seems K-pop is no exception. With proper planning and good social media marketing strategies by the agencies, more and more Korean artists will rise to the global music scene. Groups like A.C.E set a great example of reaching an international audience by promoting themselves on social networks and online video platforms.

Back in May, A.C.E made headlines on online pop news outlets for its unique debut concept and powerful performances. Now, shortly after its comeback, they are preparing to capture even more hearts with leader Jun and youngest member Chan’s participation on KBS2’s upcoming idol reboot show “The Unit.” Make sure to tune in and support A.C.E. The first episode will air on Oct. 28.

You can read the rest of the interview here.

wisdom117@korea.kr