Are K-Pop TikTok Challenges Getting Old? The Reason The Industry Can’t Give Up On Them

Are we tired of K-Pop challenges yet? In 2020, the K-Pop music industry was truly in a challenge craze. As Zico’s “Any Song” was promoted through a follow-up point choreography challenge, it became a huge success. Since then, the “challenge” trend has become basic marketing in the music industry, and even now, three years later, it Is still a major publicity tool for new songs.

Zico’s “Freak” challenge | Zico YouTube

Of course, it’s not as fresh as before; it now feels inertial, but the challenge is still a type of content the K-Pop industry focuses on. Why is the challenge trend still in the limelight? Let’s take a look at what industry officials have to say.

Music industry officials unanimously say that the “accessibility,” the challenge’s approach to the fans and the public, is good when drawing up a promotion plan. As short-form content has become more familiar to the public, it is evaluated that marketing using videos is more accessible than promotion using text or images. In addition, it is explained that the challenge is easy to imprint a new song on listeners because it plays a repetitive music selection.

Chaeyeon’s “Knock” Challenge | Lee Chaeyeon YouTube

Another major factor is that it is a marketing tool that can be used without incurring large costs. One official commented, “Artists who belong to large entertainment companies or have a large fandom can invest hundreds in marketing, but there are more artists who do not. There are cases where a new song is popular with a challenge occasionally, so it’s an effective marketing method.”

An entertainment company official stated, “In a way, the challenge has become homework for singers. But, fans like it when idols do the challenge in a way that encourages each other, and it’s good marketing because the new song definitely has one effect on listeners.”

The challenge trend is also advantageous for targeting the global market. Officials stated, “These days, we are not only marketing limitedly in the domestic market, but we also target overseas market as well. For that, uploading short-form content on TikTok or YouTube is easy access for global fans.” Another official added, “In the case of short-form content uploaded to TikTok, it is also reflected on the U.S. Billboard Social 50 Chart, so it is essential to take on the challenge to target overseas markets.”

In particular, TikTok is attracting the most attention as a platform for conducting the challenge. An industry insider said, “Compared to other platforms, TikTok is several times larger in scale, so it is impossible to compare. As short-form content is getting bigger, it has now become the system for marketing.” A music industry official commented, “As the short-form market grows, production teams are even formed, and many related agencies are created, creating an even more competitive marketing scene.”