Latest news with #Carat
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Inside the big business of boy paper, a booming sub-industry of the K-pop machine
Seventeen's new album has been fueling a K-pop photo card trading frenzy. The variety of photo cards has spawned a booming market for trading and collecting. The cards' popularity come as K-pop companies' stock soars. "I have your man," I typed at 1 a.m., my hands trembling with excitement. "Do you have Joshua on hand to trade?" Joshua Hong's 13-member K-pop band, Seventeen, released a new album on May 26. That album comes with serious math for trading card aficionados. There are seven versions of the record, each containing one to four photo cards — that's 264 unique cards, or "boy paper," to collect, not counting rare releases. I wanted him badly enough to wheel and deal my way through a maelstrom of trading card listings. My late-night obsession is a small sliver of the sprawling business of K-pop photo card trading, a blood sport that's equal parts lottery and enterprise. The pieces of boy paper I'm attempting to secure are highly desirable collectibles in the fandom, said Kay Koo, an expert in marketing and K-pop from Korea University. Fans buy copies of the same album, hoping to find their favorite card. "They serve as tangible indicators of fan loyalty," Koo told BI. "Some fans even purchase over 100 copies of the same album to collect every photo card produced for that release, humorously calling this practice 'collecting Dragon Balls,' referencing the Japanese manga where collecting all seven Dragon Balls summons a dragon capable of granting any wish," Koo added. Jackie Ko, a proud Carat — the name Seventeen fans go by, à la Swifties — has amassed 3,300 cards since she started collecting in 2021. She buys albums, keeps most of the cards she pulls, then tries to trade duplicates. Ko, who's based in the US, also looks for fresh pieces from online sites like Mercari Japan, Neokyo, and PocaMarket — or from her local K-pop store's photo card trading nights. "The chase and journey of finding certain photo cards is thrilling in itself as well, and there comes a sense of achievement when said card is found, or when a certain collection is finally complete," she said. Ko estimates she's spent around $25,000 on photo cards and albums. Some of the more expensive cards she owns are rare cards of Seventeen's leader, — she's seen them being resold for around $400 a piece. Kia Pastoral, who became a Carat in October 2022, has a growing collection of 368 photo cards. She goes on X to look for new pieces and relies on her friends in the Philippines for more local trades. Pastoral estimates she's spent around $600 on cards. "I buy the albums not just for the photo cards, but also for the album itself and other inclusions," Pastoral said. "I definitely love the feeling of unboxing new albums and getting excited to see which member I pull." Ko described the adrenaline rush from buying albums as "addictive." "I don't think I would be buying this many albums if not for the photo cards," she said. I can relate to Ko and Pastoral's descriptions of the unboxing high. I bought five albums from a local K-pop store in Singapore for around $25 Singapore dollars, or $19.50, a piece. Staff at two K-pop album stores in Singapore said new shipments of the Seventeen album came in just this week, and fans have been snapping it up. Much like Pokémon card collectors, Carats like Ko and Pastoral keep their photo cards neatly protected in decorative card holders and a variety of A4 and A5 binders. Both fans have brought their photo cards on trips. Ko, for one, says she doesn't leave the house for an outing without a photo card on her. Fans and local stores can make money in the photo card resale market. Listings on an online Singaporean marketplace range from $5 to $25 per photo card. K-pop shops in Singapore also sell exclusive photo cards for $15 to $20 a piece. The photo card feeding frenzy is just one branch of the sprawling landscape of K-pop, with its seemingly infinite supply of boy and girl groups debuting every year. Seventeen has been around for 10 years, and their peers at parent company Hybe, BTS, are set to return this month in full force for the group's 12th anniversary. Though K-pop stocks dipped in 2024, Goldman Sachs analysts projected in a June 5 report that "Mega IPs" — bands like BTS, that perform in stadium-sized venues — would continue to buoy the companies this year. Concerts, albums, and merchandising are all part of the monetization mechanism for bands under Hybe. In 2023, Seventeen, per statistics compiled by Goldman, notched an all-time high of 4.5 million albums sold in week one of release that broke the Grammy-nominated BTS's record of 3.3 million copies. Photo cards aren't the only factor driving physical album sales. "In the early years, fans used to buy more albums to collect additional photo cards. Nowadays, they often trade or sell them among themselves," said Stephanie Choi, an assistant professor in ethnomusicology at the University of Colorado-Boulder. "There are so many different reasons for album purchase, and photo cards are one of the many reasons," Choi added. Fans may want to mass-buy albums to clinch spots at exclusive events or just to help their idols chart better. Still, it's fair to say that Seventeen's fame isn't built on a house of cards. "While photo cards are crucial for immediate sales, digital strategies and continuous online engagement are indispensable for long-term fan base growth and sustainable commercial success," Koo, the marketing expert from Korea University, added. Hybe's stock is up 43% in the last year. Read the original article on Business Insider Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Inside the big business of boy paper, a booming sub-industry of the K-pop machine
Share Save Seventeen's new album has been fueling a K-pop photo card trading frenzy. The variety of photo cards has spawned a booming market for trading and collecting. The cards' popularity come as K-pop companies' stock soars. "I have your man," I typed at 1 a.m., my hands trembling with excitement. "Do you have Joshua on hand to trade?" Joshua Hong's K-pop band Seventeen released a new album on May 26. That album comes with serious math for trading card aficionados: There are seven versions of the record, each containing four photo cards — that's 336 unique cards, or "boy paper," to collect. I wanted him badly enough to wheel and deal my way through a maelstrom of trading card listings. My late-night obsession is a small sliver of the sprawling business of K-pop photo card trading, a blood sport that's equal parts lottery and enterprise. Supply and demand The pieces of boy paper I'm attempting to secure are highly desirable collectibles in the fandom, said Kay Koo, an expert in marketing and K-pop from Korea University. Fans buy copies of the same album, hoping to find their favorite card. "They serve as tangible indicators of fan loyalty," Koo told BI. "Some fans even purchase over 100 copies of the same album to collect every photo card produced for that release, humorously calling this practice 'collecting Dragon Balls,' referencing the Japanese manga where collecting all seven Dragon Balls summons a dragon capable of granting any wish," Koo added. Jackie Ko, a proud Carat — the name Seventeen fans go by, à la Swifties — has amassed 3,300 cards since she started collecting in 2021. She buys albums, keeps most of the cards she pulls, then tries to trade duplicates. Ko, who's based in the US, also looks for fresh pieces from online sites like Mercari Japan, Neokyo, and PocaMarket — or from her local K-pop store's photo card trading nights. "The chase and journey of finding certain photo cards is thrilling in itself as well, and there comes a sense of achievement when said card is found, or when a certain collection is finally complete," she said. Ko estimates she's spent around $25,000 on photo cards and albums. Some of the more expensive cards she owns are rare cards of Seventeen's leader, — she's seen them being resold for around $400 a piece. Kia Pastoral, who became a Carat in October 2022, has a growing collection of 368 photo cards. She goes on X to look for new pieces and relies on her friends in the Philippines for more local trades. Pastoral estimates she's spent around $600 on cards. "I buy the albums not just for the photo cards, but also for the album itself and other inclusions," Pastoral said. "I definitely love the feeling of unboxing new albums and getting excited to see which member I pull." Ko described the adrenaline rush from buying albums as "addictive." "I don't think I would be buying this many albums if not for the photo cards," she said. The high I can relate to Ko and Pastoral's descriptions of the unboxing high. I bought five albums from a local K-pop store in Singapore for around $25 Singapore dollars, or $19.50, a piece. Staff at two K-pop album stores in Singapore said new shipments of the Seventeen album came in just this week, and fans have been snapping it up. Much like Pokémon card collectors, Carats like Ko and Pastoral keep their photo cards neatly protected in decorative card holders and a variety of A4 and A5 binders. Both fans have brought their photo cards on trips. Ko, for one, says she doesn't leave the house for an outing without a photo card on her. Fans and local stores can make money in the photo card resale market. Listings on an online Singaporean marketplace range from $5 to $25 per photo card. K-pop shops in Singapore also sell exclusive photo cards for $15 to $20 a piece. Merchandising is king The photo card feeding frenzy is just one branch of the sprawling landscape of K-pop, with its seemingly infinite supply of boy and girl groups debuting every year. Seventeen has been around for 10 years, and their peers at parent company Hybe, BTS, are set to return this month in full force for the group's 12th anniversary. Though K-pop stocks dipped in 2024, Goldman Sachs analysts projected in a June 5 report that "Mega IPs" — bands like BTS, that perform in stadium-sized venues — would continue to buoy the companies this year. Concerts, albums, and merchandising are all part of the monetization mechanism for bands under Hybe. In 2023, Seventeen, per statistics compiled by Goldman, notched an all-time high of 4.5 million albums sold in week one of release that broke the Grammy-nominated BTS's record of 3.3 million copies. Photo cards aren't the only factor driving physical album sales. "In the early years, fans used to buy more albums to collect additional photo cards. Nowadays, they often trade or sell them among themselves," said Stephanie Choi, an assistant professor in ethnomusicology at the University of Colorado-Boulder. "There are so many different reasons for album purchase, and photo cards are one of the many reasons," Choi added. Fans may want to mass-buy albums to clinch spots at exclusive events or just to help their idols chart better. Still, it's fair to say that Seventeen's fame isn't built on a house of cards. "While photo cards are crucial for immediate sales, digital strategies and continuous online engagement are indispensable for long-term fan base growth and sustainable commercial success," Koo, the marketing expert from Korea University, added. Hybe's stock is up 43% in the last year.
Campaign ME
13-05-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Pemo launches first OOH campaign as growth accelerates
Produced with creative agency Ducklife and media agency Carat, Pemo, a UAE-based fintech company, has launched its first OOH campaign, expanding its presence across Dubai with a message that takes aim at the frustrations of manual expense management. In collaboration with Mastercard, the campaign features two 30-meter hoardings along Sheikh Zayed Road and more than 500 digital screens across the city. Blending humour with local culture, the creative taps into the universal frustration of manual expense management with the central line being a local expression, 'Khalas, no!' This creative is meant to encourage businesses drop the receipts and petty cash and switch to Pemo's smart corporate cards and AI-powered platform. Emil Petkov, Head of Marketing at Pemo said, 'It's inspired by our top-performing online ad and supercharged for OOH.' He continues, 'It's bold, localised, and yes – built with the help of AI.' The campaign marks a visibility push for the startup following a year of significant activity. Founded less than three years ago, Pemo is expanding its operations across the region. Along with the campaign, Pemo was recently included in the Future 100, a government-led initiative recognising emerging companies making an impact on the UAE's economic landscape. Alessandro Duri, Co-Founder at Pemo said, 'Being recognised as part of the Future 100 is an incredible honour for Pemo,' He continues on to express how proud he is to be included in the initiative as it showcases companies contributing to the UAE's long-term vision.
Campaign ME
14-03-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Industry Snapshot: ‘Agentic AI is changing the media landscape'
In this Industry Snapshot, Carat's Fiona Black writes on how agentic AI is now enabling more personalised audience targeting, shifting the approach to connecting brands with consumers within the media landscape. She also touches on topics of client trust, teamwork and leadership within media agencies in the region. What are the major shifts in media consumption patterns over the past 12 months, and how have these affected your strategies? Over the past year, we've seen a significant acceleration in digital consumption, particularly among younger demographics who are increasingly prioritising short-form content across platforms like TikTok and Instagram. This shift has prompted us to enhance our strategies, focusing on creating more engaging, bite-sized content that resonates with these audiences while ensuring we leverage data-driven insights to optimise reach and effectiveness. In 2025, the key to strengthening client trust will rest upon … Transparency and authenticity will be paramount. Clients are looking for agencies that not only provide results but also foster open communication about strategies and outcomes. By sharing insights and data in real-time, we can build stronger relationships based on trust, ensuring that clients feel confident in our partnership and the direction we're taking their brands. Often underplayed, could you share your comments on the power of teamwork and the scale and skill of your teams? Teamwork is our cornerstone. At Carat MENA, we pride ourselves on having diverse teams that bring a wealth of perspectives and expertise. This collaborative spirit enables us to tackle complex challenges creatively and effectively. Our scale allows us to leverage global insights while our skilled professionals ensure that each campaign is tailored to our clients' unique needs, driving impactful results. What is your take on the rise of agentic AI in 2025 and its effect on the media industry? Agentic AI is transforming the media landscape by enabling more personalised and efficient audience targeting. As this technology matures, it will empower us to make data-driven decisions at unprecedented speeds, enhancing our ability to connect brands with consumers. However, it's crucial to balance automation with the human touch, ensuring that creativity and empathy remain central to our strategies. How can the collaborative environment between clients and agencies improve? Enhancing collaboration requires establishing clear communication channels and encouraging ongoing dialogue. Regular check-ins and brainstorming sessions can foster a more integrated approach, ensuring that both clients and agencies are aligned on goals and strategies. By co-creating solutions and sharing insights, we can drive innovation and achieve better results together. How important will it be for media agency leaders to be bold and push boundaries a bit further in the months ahead? Boldness will be essential as we navigate an evolving media landscape. Leaders must be willing to embrace change and take calculated risks to explore new opportunities. Pushing boundaries not only fosters innovation but also positions us as thought leaders in the industry. As we face new challenges, being proactive and visionary will be critical in driving growth and delivering exceptional value to our clients. By, Fiona Black, Managing Director, Carat.
Korea Herald
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Seventeen wraps up 'Right Here' world tour
K-pop group Seventeen successfully concluded their world tour, attracting over 1.03 million fans across 14 cities worldwide. According to Pledis Entertainment, the group wrapped up their Seventeen [Right Here] World Tour with concerts at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok on Saturday and Sunday. The final leg of the four-month tour saw the members deliver a three-hour performance filled with their hits, including an encore of "Very Nice." "This tour has left us with unforgettable memories, and we are thankful to everyone who joined us along the way," the group shared in a press release on Monday. Seventeen, who are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, also thanked their fans for their support and promised to continue growing for their fandom Carat in the years to come. The tour kicked off Oct.12-13, 2024, at Goyang Sports Complex in South Korea, before heading to North America, Japan and other major cities across Asia. Over the course of 30 shows, Seventeen's performances drew a total of 1.037 million fans both online and offline. Seventeen created an immersive experience for their fans by hosting various events in the cities where they performed during their tour. One such event, "Seventeen The City," took place in five cities -- Los Angeles, Aichi, Fukuoka, Tokyo and Osaka. In Singapore, they collaborated with the Singapore Tourism Board to offer fans exclusive experiences at landmarks such as Marina Bay Sands and top restaurants. Fan participation events were also held in Jakarta and Bangkok. On Sunday, Seventeen received two major awards at the 32nd Hanteo Music Awards 2024 in Seoul, winning best album and artist of the year. Looking ahead, Seventeen is set to perform at the Tecate Pa'l Norte 2025 music festival in Monterrey, Mexico on April 4, becoming the first K-pop group to perform at the largest music festival in Latin America.
