Exploring Marketing Strategies in the Idol Industry: The Case of

NCT127 Idol Groups

Yutian Zhang

Department of Web and New Media, Jilin International Studies University, 130117 Jilin, China

Keywords: Marketing Strategy, K-pop, Cultural Economy.

Abstract: With globalisation and the popularity of mobile internet, the Korean idol industry has made remarkable

achievements in the field of global idol industry. However, the competition in the global entertainment market

is fierce and the problem of product homogenisation is emerging. In order to cope with this problem and assist

in the development of China's idol industry, this paper focuses on the management and communication of

cultural industry. Focusing on the intersection of cultural industry management and communication studies,

this paper conducts an in-depth analysis of the fan base of NCT127, a male idol group under the South Korean

company SM, through the research method of interviews, and encodes the content of the interviews to collect

and analyse their views and experiences of NCT127's marketing strategy. Through the effective information

they fed back, the strengths and weaknesses of NCT127's marketing strategy and the areas that can be

improved are countered to provide an indicative contribution to the healthy and long-term development of the

idol industry.

1 INTRODUCTION

With the acceleration of globalisation and the

popularisation of the Internet, the Korean idol

industry has made remarkable achievements within

the scope of the global idol industry. The success of

the Korean idol industry cannot be separated from its

perfect industrial system of content manufacturing

and mature model of fan economic realisation.

The outstanding performance of the entire

industrial chain, from product planning to music

industry to visual design, shows that the Korean idol

industry has already formed a relatively mature and

complete industrial system (Wang, 2017). Multiple

departments work together to provide positioning

services for idol groups; at the same time, through

record sales, audio sales, concerts, DVD sales,

peripheral derivatives and advertising endorsements,

and other forms of marketing in parallel, shaping a

variety of merchandise forms, so that fans can

continue to consume repeatedly over a period of time,

so that the Korean idol industry uninterruptedly

realise the realization of the emotional investment

(Ai, 2021).

However, while learning how the Korean idol

industry designs product marketing through inquiry,

it also faces a series of core challenges.

The marketing strategy of the Korean idol

industry involves a number of aspects, such as brand

positioning, market segmentation, product planning,

publicity and promotion. This determines that the

success of a product is also affected by a variety of

factors such as the market environment, consumer

psychology, and cultural differences (Hu, 2021). As

market competition intensifies, the problem of

product homogeneity in the idol industry is gradually

surfacing (Zhang et al., 2023). How to meet market

changes and fan demands while maintaining

individuality and achieving sustainable development

is also an important challenge for its marketing

design.

In order to study the marketing strategies of the

idol industry, NCT127 was selected as a case study to

be analysed in this paper, and the interview method

was used to conduct interview activities with four

fans of NCT127. The contents of their interviews

were coded and processed to collect and analyse their

perceptions and experiences of NCT127's marketing

strategies. The effective information from their

feedback is used to reflect the strengths and

weaknesses of NCT127's marketing strategy and

what can be improved.

Zhang, Y.

Exploring Marketing Strategies in the Idol Industry: The Case of NCT127 Idol Groups.

DOI: 10.5220/0014137100004942

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Applied Psychology and Marketing Management (APMM 2025), pages 501-506

ISBN: 978-989-758-791-7

501

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

At present, regarding the product marketing design of

the Korean idol industry, scholars have already

conducted in-depth studies on the realisation mode of

its fan economy and the business logic and operation

mechanism behind it.

Scholars have conducted in-depth analyses of the

marketing strategies of the Korean idol industry from

various angles, including brand positioning, market

segmentation, product planning, publicity and

promotion. At the same time, some scholars have also

conducted in-depth research on the fan economic

realisation mode of the Korean idol industry,

revealing the business logic and operation mechanism

behind it (Wang, 2022). These research results

provide useful references and lessons for us to further

explore the product marketing design of Korean idol

industry (Mao, 2022).

However, there are some shortcomings in the

existing research. Most of the current research

focuses on overall control at the macro level, such as

qualitative analyses of marketing strategies in the

Korean idol industry (Kim, 2023). Secondly, the

perspective of the studies is relatively homogeneous,

with scholars analysing from the single perspective of

business administration or economics, and lacking a

comprehensive interdisciplinary perspective with

media studies or cultural industry management.

Furthermore, the analyses of the studies remain at the

surface level and do not explore in depth with

personalised examples.

To address the shortcomings of existing research,

this paper will select NCT127 male idol group as a

case for qualitative analysis, and adopt the empirical

research methods of literature review, case study

method, interdisciplinary research, and interviews to

explore the product marketing planning of the Korean

idol industry (Qiu, 2024). It aims to fill in the

shortcomings of existing research and provide useful

theoretical support and practical guidance for the

sustainable and healthy development of the Korean

idol industry (Lee, 2023).

3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In this paper, the research method of interview was

adopted and four NCT127 fans were selected to be

interviewed (Lee & Lee, 2018). It collects and

analyses what kind of views and experiences they

have on NCT127's marketing strategy as an audience

group, and counterparts the NCT127 group's

advantageous points and areas that can be improved

on the marketing strategy through the feedback.

Relevant interview questions were designed

according to the research purpose, and the questions

covered the opportunities and reasons for fans to like

NCT127, the overall features and advantages of

NCT127, the points that attracted fans the most, the

use of social media platforms, consumption, activities

and interactions participated in, and the evaluation

and suggestions on marketing strategies.

We recorded and transcribed the entire interview

process, and by comparing, coding and analysing the

content of the same interview questions, this paper

draws out the successes and areas for improvement of

NCT127's marketing strategy.

3.1 Coding and Analysis of Interview

Content

Firstly, we initially organised the interview content

provided by several interviewees, filtering out

irrelevant content information while retaining content

related to the NCT127 marketing strategy.

Subsequently, we coded the contents of the

interviews that required further analysis and research,

grouped similar or related contents into the same

category, labelled them, and assigned corresponding

coding labels according to the rules. Finally, the

coding labels were organised and categorised to form

a systematic coding framework. Present the coded

content in tabular form as shown Table 1:

Table 1. Coding framework.

Interview

keyword

numbe

Interview

keyword

Content

Interpretation

1 Fan Preference

Opportunities

Opportunities for fan

groups to fall in love

with NCT127.

2 Features and

Benefits of

NCT127

Describe the features

and advantages that

make NCT127 stand

out from other idol

groups.

3 Most Attractive

Points for Fans

Describe what

attracts fans to

NCT127 the most,

such as product

planning, music

output, and visual

design for music

videos and albums.

4 Use of Social

Media Platforms

Describe the social

media platforms

through which fans

follow NCT127 and

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how these platforms

fulfil their needs.

5 Consumption

Describe the items

that fans spend on

NCT127 and their

decision-making

rocess.

6 Activities and

Interactions

Describe the

NCT127 events or

interactions that fans

have participated in,

and the emotional

impact of these

events and

interactions on the

fanbase.

7 Marketing

Strategy

Evaluation

Describe fans'

evaluations and

perceptions of the

strengths and

weaknesses of

NCT127's marketing

strategies, including

effective strategies

and areas for

rovement.

8 Emotional value Describe the

emotional experience

and emotional value

that NCT127 has

rought to fans.

3.2 Coding Results and Analysis

3.2.1 Fan Preference Opportunities

During the interviews, several interviewees

mentioned the opportunity of their liking for

NCT127.

Interviewee A fell further in love with the group

because he had the idea of wanting to learn more

about the group to which this member belonged after

interacting with member Lee Taeyong on Lysn, a

specific communication software developed by SM.

Respondent B, on the other hand, became

interested in NCT127 member Kim Jungwoo after

swiping his dance challenge on the TikTok platform

and decided to participate in the offline event after

getting to know the member better over a period of

time. After watching NCT127's offline concert in

Macau, he further deepened his love for the group.

3.2.2 Characteristics and Strengths of

NCT127

During the interview, interviewee A thought that

NCT127's conceptual plan was very "NEO"-style,

with philosophical and literary abstraction. Emphasis

on new concepts such as "dream, water droplet, and

empathy" made the audience interested in the concept

of a worldview that is independent of the current

subgenre but not detached from real life. Such

concepts are not common among Korean idol groups

at the same time, and are even unique, making

NCT127's distinctive team colours leave a deep

impression on the audience.

Respondent C believes that the diversity of

nationalities of the members of NCT127 has enabled

their audience to be more international, and their

audience size is at a high value as a result. Their

music, including samples of Western classical music

and other regional styles, allows fans of all

nationalities to appreciate the artistry of their music.

In addition, NCT127 has demonstrated a unique

and avant-garde style and innovation in dance and

visual design, making it stand out from other idol

groups.

3.2.3 Points of Greatest Appeal to Fans

During the interview, several fans mentioned

NCT127's musical output and choreography as the

points that attracted them the most.

Respondent A described NCT127's music as

diverse and avant-garde and experimental. Both the

title track and the album's title track have different

styles, but the central theme is very clear. The albums

often contain a variety of music, such as Neo Soul,

Tropical House, Synthpop, Contemporary R&B,

Complexxtro, etc. The albums are also very diverse,

as the songs are arranged in such a way as to make

them more accessible. As the arrangements of

NCT127's songs are innovative and highly

researched, there are many arrangers who

professionally evaluate and explain NCT127's

albums, uploading such videos to social media

platforms such as YouTube or bilibili. This, in a way,

also raises the artistic value and level of NCT127.

Respondent D felt that all of their dances had a

high difficulty index and were not homogenised

dance moves and styles from the same period, giving

the fan base an excellent audio-visual experience.

3.2.4 Use of Social Media Platforms

It was learned through the interviews that the specific

social media platforms used by several respondents to

follow NCT127 are similar. The main focus is on

social media platforms such as instagram, Twitter,

and Weibo, which fans can use to follow NCT127's

official account and the personal accounts of their

favourite members. In this way, they can be the first

Exploring Marketing Strategies in the Idol Industry: The Case of NCT127 Idol Groups

503

to get information about NCT127's movements,

pictures, videos, etc. that are posted.

Meanwhile, platform apps like bilibili and

youtube are also widely used by the fanbase and have

become important channels for the fanbase to watch

NCT127's updated materials.

3.2.5 Consumption, Participation and

Interaction

In the interview, fans' spending on NCT127 was

divided into two parts: online and offline.

Online, it mainly includes the purchase of a large

number of albums, peripherals and subscription to

Lysn software, as well as the "casting" and "cutting"

of sound sources during data events; offline, it

includes attending concerts, fanmeeting, pre-recorded

stages, and so on.

In addition, Interviewee B mentioned that they

also incur hidden consumption such as air tickets,

hotels, and clothing in order to watch concerts. These

spending decisions arise mainly from the fans' love

and support for NCT127, as well as the need to collect

their physical products.

Several fans mentioned in the interview that they

have attended NCT127's special concerts and platter

concerts. These events allowed fans to experience the

strength and charisma of the NCT127 members more

intuitively, deepening their love for them.

Also, by participating in offline events such as

concerts, fans are able to experience moments of

warmth and deepen the formation of a powder chain

relationship while interacting with all of NCT127.

3.2.6 Evaluation of Marketing Strategies

Several interviewees felt that they rated NCT127's

marketing strategy highly, but that there were still

some trouble spots that needed to be improved.

They believe that NCT127's marketing strategy is

innovative and differentiated, able to attract fans

through various types of post-production materials

such as lifestyle vlog-type materials, practice room or

studio behind-type materials, etc., and satisfy the

needs of different types of fans; it also interacts and

communicates with fans online in real time through

diversified social media platforms such as Lysn and

Weverse apps; at the same time, it can also help

NCT127 enhance the stickiness of some audiences by

producing music with unique styles and difficult

choreography, as well as avant-garde visual designs

to show the team's style and characteristics. At the

same time, NCT127 can also help to increase the

stickiness of some of its audiences by producing

unique music styles, ornamental and difficult

choreographies, and avant-garde visual designs to

show the team's styles and characteristics.

However, several respondents also suggested

some improvements to NCT127's marketing strategy.

For example, they would like to see the company step

up its promotion of some of its non-hit songs. They

felt that the selection of overly edgy title songs was

not conducive to helping NCT127 expand its fan

audience, while the promotion of equally high-quality

and more poppy secondary title songs could optimise

the structure of the album's song charting rate at a

relatively low cost. At the same time, shortening the

gap in activity and increasing the frequency of album

releases will maintain NCT127's group exposure

while increasing the points of exposure.

Among them, respondent B mentioned that it is

difficult to collect all the albums due to too many

styles, and hoped that SM can simplify the album

versions in consideration of the longevity of the fans

and users. Respondent A hoped that more attention

would be paid to the Chinese market.

4 SUCCESS OF NCT127

MARKETING STRATEGY

4.1 Innovation and Differentiation

NCT127 has demonstrated a high degree of

innovation and differentiation in its marketing

strategies. For example, it has demonstrated the

team's uniqueness and versatility from other groups

through its avant-garde music style and experimental

conceptual design; interaction and communication

with fans through multiple social media platforms and

exclusive software; realisation of the idol economy

through a large number of peripheral designs and co-

branded outputs; as well as multiple types of post-

production material placement.

These innovative and differentiated marketing

plans left a unique impression on the audience that

NCT127 is different from other idol groups.

4.2 Precise Positioning and Market

Segmentation

NCT127 focuses on precise positioning and market

segmentation in its marketing strategy. It has

developed a targeted marketing strategy by gaining a

deep understanding of the needs and preferences of

its target audience.

For example, when launching a global tour,

market surveys will be conducted in advance to adjust

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the concert track list according to the preferences of

fans in the region; different versions of albums and

different types of peripheral products will be

launched to meet the diversified preferences of the

audience; and different types of activities and

interactions will be launched to cater for the needs of

different groups of fans, and so on.

These precise positioning and market

segmentation marketing strategies have enabled

NCT127 to better meet the needs of different fan

groups, increasing its market competitiveness and

influence among its peers.

4.3 Emotion Marketing and Fan

Interaction

NCT127 focuses on emotional marketing and fan

interaction in its marketing strategy. It carries out in-

depth communication and interaction with fans

through social media platforms and offline activities

to establish a close emotional bond.

For example, by subscribing to the Lysn software

to communicate and exchange with fans in real time,

the members share their lives through text, pictures,

videos, etc., which greatly brings the distance

between them and the fan base closer; face-to-face

interactions and contacts with fans through concerts,

fanmeeting, and other offline activities, etc., which

deepen the emotional impression and can better

maintain the connection with the fan base.

These emotional marketing and fan interaction

marketing strategies enable NCT127 to create a

stronger powder chain relationship with its fan

audience, enhancing fan loyalty and sense of

belo

nging.

5 NCT127 MARKETING

STRATEGY IMPROVEMENTS

5.1 Enhancement of Non-Hit Song

Announcements

Although NCT127's hit songs are highly recognisable

and influential in the market, they are also not all well

received because of their experimental and avant-

garde style. However, according to critics and fans of

NCT127, the non-hit songs on the album have the

same quality and potential.

However, the company's lack of promotion of

these non-hit songs has resulted in these songs not

receiving sufficient attention. As a result, NCT127

needs to step up its efforts to promote its non-

mainstream songs, weakening its stereotypical label

of experimental and reflecting the artistic diversity of

its work.

5.2 Optimising Album Styles and

Peripheral Product Design

While NCT127's album styles and peripheral product

designs are diverse and attractive, there are some

problems.

For example, an excessive number of album styles

and peripherals leads to aesthetic fatigue and a

decrease in purchasing desire among the fan base.

Audiences find themselves spending for a long period

of time without acquiring any practical products, and

are less likely to want to have additional expenditures.

Therefore, NCT127 needs to optimise its sales

methods, reduce the frequency of selling peripheral

products, and strengthen product quality

enhancement and practicality. Conduct research on

the purchasing supplies of the fan base in advance,

and design products according to the preferences of

the fan base, so as to increase the willingness to buy

and satisfaction.

5.3 Balanced International Markets

and Cross-Cultural Marketing

Although NCT127 has achieved some success in

internationalisation, attention needs to be paid to the

balance of its international markets.

The frequency of activities should be arranged to

address the high and low regional sales during each

event, not only in Korea itself. Launch products and

activities that are more in line with local cultural

characteristics and consumption habits for different

regional fan bases. Strengthen exchanges and

cooperation with other countries, or establish sub-

divisions in other countries to conduct more targeted

regional planning for NCT127.

6 SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE

MARKETING STRATEGIES OF

NCT127

6.1 Adherence to Innovation and

Differentiation

After market research, it is easy to find that NCT127's

current fanbase is attracted by their unique conceptual

plans and personal artistic style. For NCT127,

sticking to their own path is an important means of

Exploring Marketing Strategies in the Idol Industry: The Case of NCT127 Idol Groups

505

maintaining their creativity and differentiation. While

maintaining their strengths, they continue to

experiment with new marketing methods and

approaches to stay ahead of the curve and stay

competitive in the current idol market.

At the same time, while diversifying the

marketing, but also to avoid the problem of product

homogenisation, always maintain the group's unique

and distinctive style characteristics.

6.2 Focus on the Chinese Market

Currently NCT127's main audience countries in Asia

are Korea, Japan and China. However, the Chinese

market is not well regarded compared to Japan and

South Korea, and the Chinese fanbase has a large

share of album purchases and offline event support.

NCT127 should increase the frequency of their

overseas activities while maintaining their local

publicity, and diversify their interactive activities in

China. Not only should the number of tours and book

signings be increased, but also activities with more

benefits, such as NCT WISH's "One-Day Cafe

Manager" activity, which is more cost-effective and

interactive. This will enhance the experience of the

fan base and the sense of return, and maintain the

loyalty and sense of belonging of the solid fans.

6.3 Expanding Product Lines and

Diversification

NCT127 should improve the design of its peripheral

products, reduce the number of co-branded products

with other divisions, and instead increase the number

of collaborations with brands that have high visibility

and good civic influence to enhance the originality of

NCT127-related products.

At the same time, more personalised and

customised peripheral products can be launched, and

online questionnaires can be issued before the batch

output to conduct in-depth research on the market

situation in order to meet the fans' personalised and

targeted needs, to improve the fans' purchasing

experience and satisfaction, and to strengthen the

powder chain relationship.

7 CONCLUSION

Through interviews with some of NCT127's fan

groups, this paper finds that NCT127 has shown its

good marketing strategy to its audience with its

unique conceptual planning, avant-garde and

innovative music style and diversified social media

marketing as well as comprehensive online and

offline consumption mode.

These strategies have helped NCT127 to create a

good brand image and attract a large number of fans'

attention and love. However, there are still some

problems with NCT127's marketing strategies, such

as the lack of mass type of marketing approach as well

as the unbalanced development of the international

market.

This study provides a lot of valuable references

for the future development of China's idol industry,

and makes a good demonstration for the future

development of the domestic idol industry in terms of

brand positioning, market segmentation, product

planning, publicity and promotion, etc. Future

research should focus more on how to make the idol

industry products develop healthily in the long run in

the direction of in-depth investigation.

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