Judy Knows

Enthusiastic fan of the power of fandoms 📑 Read "BTS & the Future of the Fan Economy" aka the business of @bts_bighit 💜

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

Why care about the business of BTS?

They & their agency @BigHitEnt are the savviest global strategists of the fan economy

Cultivating engaged fans is the driving force of the 🤯 growth of DTC brands & the creator economy

I wrote a 10-pt series on the business of BTS: 🧵 👇

[Rob Abelow @AbelowRob]

Fan culture now drives pop culture.

YouTube released its fandom report, and it shows we need to re-shape how we think about and engage fans.

Here's some key stats & my takeaways:

The most interesting stat?

8% of Gen Z fans now consider themselves Professional Fans—meaning they earn from it.

Add that to the 65% of Gen Z who consider themselves creators.

Looks like we've got ourselves a new fan funnel.

→ Casual Fans consume
→ Big Fans spend
→ Super Fans participate
→ Professional Fans earn

Fans are no longer passive consumers.

They're active creators.

In fact, 66% of Gen Z Americans often spend MORE time engaging with fan-made content than the original material!

→ Memes
→ Fan art
→ Fancams
→ Explainers
→ Fan remixes
→ Video essays
→ Reaction videos

This means your product is a starting point in a conversation, not the final word.

Drake & Kendrick dropped 9 tracks during their feud, but fans uploaded 250,000+ pieces of related content, racking up over 3.5 billion views.

Fan culture now drives popular culture.

It creates trends & attracts audiences.

You can no longer rely on a top-down approach.

You must build up from your biggest fans.

Get them involved.
Let them re-create.
Be responsive.

Give fans a lane for their own self-expression.

They're your best way to grow.

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

@minnie_twts Yes!!

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

@sweatystartup Naturepedic... Organic, modular and super sturdy. My movers had never moved a mattress that heavy

[alina 寧 @seapearlangel]

when virginia woolf said “the only prescription for me is to have a thousand interests” she was sooo right, the best way to combat the human condition is to immerse deep into your obsessions

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

@minnie_twts Lol I was thinking that the whole bangtan gc will collectively scold him once they all wake up and realize what happened

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

@minnie_twts 😂

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

And now in Thai 🇹🇭💜

#AgustD_SUGA_Tour_in_LA

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

A lucky ARMY had Yoongi and the entire KIA Forum singing Happy Birthday to her last night. She shared her experiences in Chinese and it was so cute I wanted to translate the whole thing

I finally know how our ARMY translators feel when they translate for BTS 🥺

[lex⁷ @prodK0YA]

aw the army who yoongi sang happy bday to posted😭 she said she wasn’t thinking when she held the sign, but yoongi saw and asked “birthday?” & her name. her brain was blank so her friends had to say her name and armys helped to yell her name but she couldn’t do anything but stare

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

J-ARMY the cutest (and most diligent)... Already translated my English translation into Japanese 🇯🇵 💜

[riri ⁷ @riri__twt]

昨日のコンサートに“Best Birthday Present Ever”と書いたボードを持参しユンギに誕生日を祝ってもらったアミのレポート。中国語から英語に翻訳されたものを日本語にしたので正確でない可能性があります。

trans: @_judyknows (Chinese → English)
#AgustD #SUGA_AgustD_TOUR

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

@minnie_twts Sigh. It's not even that many people

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

@ruima I was recently in Chengdu & it felt like there was a Luckin on every block. Surprisingly each store was busy w/ a mountain of orders ready to be picked up

Their "1st cup for 9.9 yuan" offer has made it a habit for so many, not just young office workers.

The coffee was decent!

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

@minnie_twts 😭

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

@minnie_twts That would be epic 😱

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

@minnie_twts 😢

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

👀

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

@walt12467 Hi Brooke, you're private on IG so I can't message you!

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

@MrsTOH2O 3 tickets for Newark or Rosemont! Thank you Tia... You're such a gem for helping everybody connect 💜

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

@isabelunraveled Love this! I grew up in rainy Vancouver and while most people hate the rainy season (Oct to May lol) I found it really beautiful, soothing and cathartic. And what better weather to cozy up to a cup of coffee / tea with a book/movie?

[Judy Knows @_judyknows]

So struck by this: "K-pop fans are global citizens. We have the power to make idols & groups popular"

Puts in perspective how the Kpop playbook empowers fans to become grassroots digital organizers, which translate into very real-life consequences in politics & other arenas

[Soo Youn @lalasoo]

From Chile to Brazil to the Philippines to Myanmar to the US, K pop fans — who are digitally savvy, well-organized, deeply engaged citizens, often well-educated — are a growing political force. https://t.co/MFs39tVvRF