NewJeans Drops from Top 30 Girl Group Brand Reputation Rankings; Fans Attribute Blame to HYBE

Although NewJeans has gained significant popularity, they astonishingly did not make it into the Top 30 girl group brand reputation rankings for September 2024 — a situation that Bunnies, the fanbase of NewJeans, attribute to HYBE’s influence.

On September 15th, the Korean Business Research Institute released the rankings for the Top 30 most popular girl groups in September 2024.

Being included in this list plays a crucial role in assessing the level of fame attained by K-pop acts, as the data considered includes customer participation shifts, media coverage, social media interactions, and community engagement indexes.

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This month, the leading 4th-generation groups reigned supreme in the Top 3, with aespa, IVE, and LE SSERAFIM taking the top three spots, respectively.

Surprisingly, NewJeans, who had previously held the No. 1 position, plummeted in the rankings, falling to No. 25 in August.

This September, NewJeans has completely dropped out of the Top 30.

In response, Bunnies are blaming HYBE, citing that NewJeans’ activities were curtailed amid ongoing conflicts with ADOR, the sub-label managing the group.

newjeans is clearly being sabotaged by hybe!

— eli (@newbrats)
September 15, 2024

WHERE IS NEWJEANS

— prgrssnx (@prgrssnx)
September 15, 2024

newjeans not being here is a crime… the hybe sabotage is real

— ໊ (@sIeazii)
September 15, 2024

Newjeans not being here over some groups I’ve never heard of gave me a chuckle. Hybe make your sabotage less obvious https://t.co/xp49UoJizS

— darling darling (@ASAPakgae)
September 15, 2024

Fans argue that HYBE is intentionally hindering NewJeans by restricting their activities, leading to a notable decrease in their index points. This speculation is reinforced by the group’s previous tensions with Bang Si Hyuk and their strong support for ADOR’s former CEO, Min Hee Jin, known as the “Mother of NewJeans.”

Despite these challenges, the fandom remains hopeful that the group’s rank will rise again following the release of their viral advertisement for the iPhone 16, unveiled on the 13th.

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