NewJeans Tops ‘K-Brand Index’ for Idol Groups; BTS and Seventeen Follow

The K-Brand Index, created by the Asia Brand Research Institute in partnership with both domestic and international researchers, incorporates a big data system that sets it apart from traditional systems. This system involves input from specialized advisory panels throughout the sample extraction process and when selecting index components.

The reliability of the K-Brand Index has been confirmed by comparing it with the results of a big data survey on six pop culture sectors released by Korean Gallup last month.

In the K-Brand Index idol group category, the analysis included the 30 highest-ranking brands according to search volumes on major portal sites. A total of 986,348,239 online big data entries from June 1 to 30, 2024 were examined.

In the K-Brand Index’s idol group category, NewJeans held the first place position, with BTS coming in second, followed by Seventeen (3rd), Rise (4th), Aespa (5th), IVE (6th), TO1 (7th), Stray Kids (8th), ENHYPEN (9th), and NCT (10th).

According to Director Ryu Won-sun of the Asia Brand Research Institute, NewJeans has risen to the top spot in the big data evaluation, solidifying their position as a leading global group. After debuting in July 2022, the group, consisting of Minji, Hani, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein, has achieved an exceptional feat with all five of their albums reaching million-seller status, further propelling the resurgence of K-pop. This success comes after the group was previously ranked 5th in the K-Brand Index for idol groups in June.

“He emphasized that NewJeans has made a significant impact in the key music markets of the United States and Japan, solidifying their reach. Their hit song ‘Supernatural’ ranked 32nd on the Billboard Global chart, while their debut in Japan broke a record for the fastest entry into the Tokyo Dome by a foreign artist. Furthermore, Hani’s rendition of Matsuda Seiko’s ‘Blue Coral’ caused a sensation in Japan and received widespread praise.”

The K-Brand Index is determined by combining scores from different indexes, including Trend, Media, Social, Positive, Negative, Activation (TA), and Community, after excluding weighted criteria.