An idol who has gathered the favour of the public will rarely have time to rest due to their near-constant schedules on television programmes, photoshoots, musical performances and advertising-related endeavours. If an idol has achieved such a degree of widespread recognition, the South Korean government may even utilise them for public-service announcement filming and public-sector ambassador programmes to appeal to domestic and international fans of K-pop. .
1.4 Methodology & Main Case Studies .
After some basic research on K-pop, it became quite obvious that to understand the phenomenon – there were certain groups and companies that must be mentioned. First and foremost was the founder of SM Entertainment, Lee Soo-man, who brought the Japanese idol system to Korea and refined it in a manner that could appeal to more international markets than the comparatively insular J-pop groups ever could. I then discuss Park Jin-young and Yang Hyun-suk, the founders of JYP and YG Entertainment respectively. All three men founded the three biggest and most successful K-pop production houses in Korea and have differing styles in how they market their idols. .
The examples I use of the K-pop groups themselves are mostly the most easily recognisable names due to their fame in the industry. However, behind each successful group is a marketing strategy and concept creation that allowed them to reach such heights – so they highlight company decisions well. Examples of such groups include Girls' Generation, TVXQ, Big Bang, the Wonder Girls and T-ara among others. An example used of a lesser known group is the one regarding B.A.P, who are from the agency TS Entertainment - minor in comparison to the big three. However, the atypical nature of their debut single lyrically and production-wise made it a good exploration to highlight how K-pop songs are not all bubblegum pop – but can be influenced by "heavier" and more aggressive genres as well, .