K-Pop Pop-Up Stores as Engines for Cultural Spread — 300 Events Annually at Timesquare, SEVENTEEN Chosen as Bibigo’s Global Ambassador

Pop-up stores centered around K-pop idols and brand marketing are rapidly emerging as new economic drivers. Experiential content that leverages fan loyalty is setting new sales records and expanding into global markets. Timesquare in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, announced on the 20th that it hosted over 300 pop-up stores in the past year. This figure represents more than double the number from the same period the previous year (May 2023 to April 2024), with cumulative visitors reaching 30 million. Known as a K-pop idol pop-up hotspot, Timesquare is famous for hosting pop-ups by various K-pop artists, from newcomers to global stars. In particular, ATEEZ’s pop-up store “ANITEEZ IN TREASURE” attracted 50,000 visitors and generated sales of 1.5 billion won during its short two-week run this April. These numbers are the highest recorded among Timesquare’s K-pop pop-up stores. Customer-engagement elements such as interactive content, photo zones, and merchandise sales were found to be key in attracting visitors. Not only established idol groups like IVE and ITZY but also new groups are adopting a strategy of building fan bases through pop-ups. Timesquare officials explained, “Beyond idol pop-up stores, we also host an average of two idol fan sign-offs per month, along with music video and drama shootings, which has made us a popular destination for K-pop fans both in South Korea and around the world.” In addition to K-pop pop-ups, pop-ups based on character and webtoon IPs are also expanding. The pop-up for Naver’s popular webtoon “Garbage Time” recorded the highest sales among all past events, with the highest single purchase amount reaching 1.53 million won. Meanwhile, collaborations between K-pop groups and global brands are accelerating. CJ Food’s global Korean food brand Bibigo announced on the 19th that it has selected SEVENTEEN as its first global brand ambassador. SEVENTEEN, a K-pop icon that made its debut in 2015, was chosen because CJ believes their bright and positive energy aligns well with Bibigo’s fun and passionate brand image. The campaign will run under the slogan “Taste What's Beyond.” Starting from May 20th, Bibigo will release campaign videos on its global Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) accounts showing SEVENTEEN members enjoying Bibigo products such as kimbap, corn hotdogs, and tteokbokki. Fans can also view these videos on a dedicated microsite launched on May 23rd. During filming in March, SEVENTEEN brought energy and vitality to the set while delivering content that encouraged fan participation. Collaborative products are scheduled to be released in the global market later this year, with online and offline events planned in countries such as Japan and the United States. Stephen Chipionka, CJ Food Global’s Chief Marketing Officer, said, “Through our partnership with SEVENTEEN, we aim to connect with more consumers worldwide and significantly boost Bibigo’s brand awareness. We expect this campaign to introduce Bibigo and Korean cuisine to a broader audience in an engaging and interactive way.”