From Missiles To Merch Madness: Unlikely Ways Trends Are Borne
by John Schulte
Senior Writer
The so-called fashion-side of the toy industry — where trends emerge, ebb and flow, and on occasion swell into tsunami-sized waves of influence, infiltrating pop culture and affecting the confluence of industries — between licensing, toys, lifestyle products, and entertainment, is often obvious from observation, or intimated via analysis of data. In some instances, however, trends can be predicted by keeping a watch on geopolitical issues.
Take for example when South Korea permitted the deployment of the U.S. THAAD Missile Systems in their country. The almost overnight response from Pacific Rim neighbor, China, was to put the hammer down on South Korea by imposing economic sanctions as a form of retaliation. One such ban was targeted at K-Pop culture: music from K-Pop artists, and associated companies and enterprises that agented these acts became anathema to the Chinese Communist Party — and therefore, all Chinese ventures supporting and contributing to the exploitation of K-Pop. China had invested heavily into the K-Pop trend — and South Korea wholly embraced such support, as China delivered a billion plus audience size that wildly consumed K-Pop music, concerts, and merch by the multibillions.
All that came tumbling down when China put bans on bands, like boy troupe sensation BTS. Word spread quickly inside South Korea that the jig was up. The bandwagon’s wheels stopped spinning under government mandates from the CCP. It became clear that the K-Pop dream machine and its marketing juggernaut was at risk of imploding.
Smart executive teams of licensors, agents, and marketeers jumped into action and pivoted to the West. K-Pop was already widely known globally, but the world had not experienced such courted and targeted attention, in the guise of concerts and easier accessible merch — until K-Pop took a turn from the Far East and headed West, young man.
By shifting strategically toward Western markets, K-Pop exploitation teams cleverly capitalized on capitalistic countries that were free-minded traders — and the threat of sanctions stayed in China, where the population became more fervent for the forbidden fruits of BTS and other K-Pop brands, igniting the underground gray market.
Meanwhile, Mattel was first at bat to license BTS as an instant on-trend doll line and the first to hit a grand slam by being first to market the mushrooming boy band. BTS merch madness erupted throughout the United States and European territories. Social platforming sites like Spotify saw listeners bloom and consume saturation in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. K-Pop artists’ engagement skyrocketed via Instagram, with Brazil and Mexico leading the hit parade of fandom. YouTube views spiked in the U.S., Mexico, and Peru, as apparel merch sold-out in brick-and-mortar stores and online portals overnight.
And that’s how the deployment of the THAAD missile system became a rocket ride from one part of the world to the West of the world.
The lesson learned: Geopolitical events clearly influence changes in focus for licensors, licensees, and marketeers. For those who wonder how genius trends are borne, one must examine the panoply of possibilities. Keeping one’s eyes open to world politics, the theatres of war, repressions, recessions, and other newsworthy headlines can often be key indicators and motivators of emerging trends.
