May girl group brand reputation rankings: IVE takes the crown

IVE has topped the Korean Business Research Institute's May girl group brand reputation rankings for 2022. This is the first time the girl group ranked No. 1 since their debut in December last year and scored 76.33% positive reactions.

The May girl group brand reputation rankings saw non-mainstream girl groups claiming half of the top 10 positions. Oh My Girl, WJSN, (G)I-DLE, and rookie LE SSERAFIM along with the ELEVEN group ranked in impressive positions, showcasing their demand and popularity in the Korean entertainment market.

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IVE and (G)I-DLE overtake BLACKPINK and TWICE in May girl group brand reputation rankings

The Korean Business Research Institute (KBRI) is an organization that calculates rankings of K-pop groups by measuring consumer participation, interactions, media coverage, and community indexes. It uses big data and posts monthly rankings.

The 2022 May girl group brand reputation rankings were measured by analyzing big data from April 8, 2022 to May 8, 2022. The ELEVEN girl group, IVE, dominated the rankings for the first time since their debut in December last year. Their brand reputation index was 3,896,773, which was a massive 71.91% increase from the previous month’s ranking, where they placed ninth.

As per KBRI, ‘LOVE DIVE,’ ‘billboard,’ and ‘YouTube’ were IVE’s highest-ranking phrases during their keyword analysis. Their highest-ranking terms were ‘perfect,’ ‘charming,’ and ‘unstoppable’ showcasing the terms that the Korean audience relates to them.

The surge in IVE's reputation index could be attributed to the group’s successful comeback with their second single album, LOVE DIVE, on April 5.

The TOMBOY girl group (G)I-DLE fell to second place on the list. The group had a brand reputation index of 3,566,325 for May. In April, the girl group scored first place with an index of 4,664,162.

BLACKPINK ranked third with a 3,185,684 reputation index. WJSN and Red Velvet rounded off the top 5 list. Meanwhile, LE SSERAFIM, which debuted five days ago on May 2, ranked No. 10 on the list.

Here are the top 30 in the May girl group brand reputation rankings:

1. IVE
2. (G)I-DLE
3. BLACKPINK
4. WJSN
5. Red Velvet
6. TWICE
7. Oh My Girl
8. aespa
9. Apink
10. LE SSERAFIM
11. MAMAMOO
12. Girls’ Generation
13. LOONA
14. Brave Girls
15. Kep1er
16. NMIXX
17. APRIL
18. Fromis_9
19. Girl’s Day
20. Weeekly
21. Dreamcatcher
22. STAYC
23. MOMOLAND
24. ITZY
25. Ladies’ Code
26. LABOUM
27. EXID
28. f(x)
29. cignature
30. CLC

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Meanwhile, competition for K-pop girl groups is increasing day-by-day as big agencies debut new groups. There have been reports of another girl group debuting under HYBE's subsidiary label, ADOR. YG Entertainment is also reportedly preparing to launch a girl group. All this indicates a fierce battle for girl groups in 2022.