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On November 1, 2023, music executive and HYBE Entertainment founder Bang Si-hyuk discussed BTS' formative years on the conversation show YOU QUIZ on the Block. During the popular tvN talk show, Bang Si-hyuk revealed the strategy they implemented during BTS' debut in 2013.
The HYBE chairman explained that the company had been preparing for the FIRE [WINGS] Tour in 2016 for over one and a half years and during that time, they used the "they're famous for being famous" strategy in foreign countries to establish the group's presence and raise curiosity regarding the group.
"There was a tour planned for after the release of FIRE (wings tour) and preparations for that started ~1.5years before, which is not so typical in Korea. In order to make BTS more well known, they used a “they’re famous for being famous" strategy."—Bang Si-hyuk
The WINGS tour kicked off on February 18, 2017, and had its last show on December 10, 2017, in South Korea. BigHit Entertainment's (now HYBE) income in 2016 was recorded as 35.22 billion won ($27.2 million). In 2018, HYBE's revenues increased by more than 170% on an annual basis because of the commercial success of songs like Mic Drop and Spring Day.
The Korean entertainment label's net profit increased by 172.7% from 2016 to 24.5 billion KRW, or about $27.2 million, according to the full-year audit report. This was the highest since the company was established in 2005, and it was a long cry from the company's near-bankrupt status in 2007. HYBE stated in 2018 that, as of the fiscal year 2017, its current net worth was 61.2 billion won ($47.8 million approximately).
Bang Si-hyuk revealed how they made BTS famous even before the group was actually famous outside South Korea
On November 1, 2023, the show YOU QUIZ on the Block, which is hosted by comedians Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho, invited HYBE's Bang Si-hyuk and Jin-young, the founder and CEO of JYP Entertainment Park. It was between discussions during the show, when Bang Si-hyuk used the example where he explains several instances where someone is well-known, yet people are unsure of their exact cause.
He further clarified his statement by throwing light on how BigHit Entertainment (now HYBE) essentially took these actions to get ready for BTS' arrival in the US music scene. Thus, they purposefully chose tour stops throughout South America to pique interest.
"There are several cases where someone is famous but WHY they are famous, we don’t know. They just are.”
The WINGS tour's South American segment generated such curiosity that Bang PD notes that regular programming there had to be cut short to flash "BTS?" on broadcasting channels. People in the United States hence were excited to discover who and what BTS were as a result of this reverberating to New York.
By the time the group touched down in Los Angeles, a presumption was established that suggested people didn't know much about them or where the group originated, but they did know they were widely acknowledged. The public and people were eager to partake in this unique experience as a result of this perception.
BTS then subsequently promoted themselves on TV and radio in the US using this increasing trend. Bang PD mentions that there were quite a few celebs in LA who brought their kids to the concerts, and these sorts of things would explode on social media.
According to Bang PD, several celebrities in Los Angeles took their children to the performances, and news of these kinds of incidents would go viral on social media, especially in South Korea.
The strategy worked in both the company's and the group's favor which also resulted in the septet's album Love Yourself: Her EP, the album by BTS, was the main source of revenue for BigHit. It debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 list, making it the highest-charting album by a Korean band ever, and sold over 1.49 million copies to become the best-selling physical album in Korea in 2017.
Furthermore, the boy group from HYBE sold almost 550K tickets for their 2017 WINGS tour, which increased their earnings even further. It is important to note that the only musicians BigHit Entertainment had in 2018 were BTS and the Korean soloist Lee Hyun.
According to a June 2020 Harvard Business School Review article, the band had released four U.S. chart-topping albums in less than two years, something the "Big 3"—SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment—had not accomplished despite the popularity of each company individually.
According to the Harvard Business School Review article, Bang Si-hyuk singlehandedly created the K-pop phenomenon that has gained more international recognition than any artist. This further attests to Bang Si-hyuk's strategy which he used to make the boy band—comprising Namjoon, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook—reach the pinnacle.
BTS fans continue to reminisce over by sharing details of their previous years' ascent to popularity
The fandom of Bangtan Sonyeondan still recalls endearingly the past of the group and their struggles throughout the decade of their career. Regardless of the awards the septet won during their rookie year in 2013-2014 and the strategy used to garner buzz around the group during the WINGS Tour in 2017, the seven boys had faced harsh circumstances to make it to the top.
Furthermore, during the show, the chairman of HYBE, Bang Si-hyuk, dispelled misconceptions by pointing out that, contrary to common belief, BTS was popular when they made their debut. Although it may provide an interesting story, he added the band was fairly successful when they returned from the US, having won every rookie award in their first year of competition.
It therefore makes sense how this may have been misinterpreted since fans and the media have praised this storyline as one that highlights the group's hardships and purported misfortunes during its early years.
Those moments and circumstances still echo in the fandom reminding the BTS ARMY of the sheer hardships the group had to overcome to create music that listeners enjoy so much today.
