Many Korean Artists Become Brand Ambassadors For Local Products: Still Practical Although Irrelevant

BTS (Instagram/@McDonald's_ID)

JAKARTA - The development of Hallyu or the wave of Korean culture is reaching its peak. The elements with the South Korean theme are getting thicker, especially in Indonesia. Not only filled with drama or music from the Ginseng Country, but now we also often see Indonesian products that use brand ambassadors (BA) from Korean actresses, actors, or idols.

We can easily name big brands that use Korean artists as brand ambassadors. One example is a beverage product, NU Green Tea, which appointed NCT 127 as their brand ambassador or product ambassador.

NU Green Tea which has a photo of each NCT 127 member certainly attracts the attention of fans to buy NU Green Tea products. They will buy NU Green Tea which has a photo of their favorite member.

In addition, there is a member from Super Junior, Siwon, who is the brand ambassador for instant noodles made in Indonesia, Mie Sedaap. Siwon brand ambassador Mie Sedaap to introduce Korean Spicy Chicken variant products.

Citing various sources, through official social media accounts, this instant noodle brand launched a teaser to announce Siwon as #SedaapKoreanStar. The appointment of Siwon as the product's brand ambassador has become quite a conversation, many people even call it "Siwon Noodles."

While in the startup company sector, in 2019 Tokopedia announced the appointment of BTS as their brand ambassador. Citing the Tokopedia page, Tokopedia Co-Founder and CEO William Tanuwijaya revealed, BTS' journey and vision and the messages they consistently convey are in line with Tokopedia's vision.

“BTS is a group that has been able to change the music industry, despite having faced various limitations and challenges during their journey. We really appreciate their strong commitment to innovate and spread positive messages, so BTS is the right partner to convey Tokopedia's message to the whole world," said William.

However, the selection of Korean idols or actors has recently become polemic. The reason is, this time the brand ambassador from Korea has also started to explore the world of beauty products.

A few days ago, a beauty product brand made in Indonesia, everShine, displayed a kind of teaser showing that they would have a brand ambassador who was assumed to be a celebrity from Korea. Their social media commentary column was flooded with criticism.

Indonesia's proud local beauty brand, everShine, is going to introduce their new BA and we are betting another familiar face to come. What is your bet?https://t.co/xWced0farW pic.twitter.com/SPsgIpzlY6

— KoreanUpdates! (@KoreanUpdates) September 21, 2021

This is because the selection of brand ambassadors for skincare products is Korean celebrities. The reason is, the use of Korean brand ambassadors is considered "inappropriate".

Netizen considers this irrelevant. Many netizens think that in terms of skin color, Indonesian and Korean people are different. In addition, it is feared that the "beautiful is white" campaign will get louder. Even though the skin color of the Indonesian people is not only white.

Previously, Korean actor Song Joong Ki was appointed as a brand ambassador for beauty products from Indonesia, Scarlett Whitening. From the YouTube video uploaded by Felicya Angelista, who is the owner of Scarlett Whitening, it can be seen that she got a video call from Song Joong Ki.

NCT (Instagram/nuteaid)

Irrelevant but keep going

According to Lea-Greenwood in the journal The influence of brand ambassadors on brand image and their impact on purchasing decisions, brand ambassadors are tools used by a company to communicate and connect with the public. Thus, the selection of a brand ambassador is important because it involves the preferences of many people or supporters of the brand ambassador.

The selection of brand ambassadors also aims to increase brand image and increase consumer loyalty to a brand. Moreover, the selection of brand ambassadors is sometimes based on the image of someone who is famous. Therefore, it is necessary to measure in order to determine the strength of a brand in the eyes of consumers.

Still, according to Lea-Greenwood, there are indicators in brand ambassadors; congruence or suitability, credibility, attractiveness, and power. Congruence is key for ambassadors to ensure that there is a match for the chosen brand and celebrity.

Credibility, the degree to which consumers perceive product ambassadors as having relevant expertise or experience. Meanwhile, the attractiveness of the non-physical appearance can support the product. Finally, power, namely the charisma emitted that can affect consumers.

BTS (Source: tokopedia.com)

In the case of many netizens who do not agree with the selection of Korean artists as brand ambassadors for local skin beauty products, this is because they feel there is no match between the product and the artist. The product seems to give the artist an amazing result

However, not everyone will get the same results. Moreover, Indonesian people who tend to have tan skin, it is difficult to have white skin as Korean artists where the majority of skin characters tend to be white.

Indeed, all consumer decisions to buy back into their own hands. Although it is considered unreasonable, the evidence is that the goods promoted by these Korean artists are still being hunted.

*Read other information about KOREA CULTURE or read other interesting articles from Ramdan Febrian Arifin.

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