What Korean boy band BTS topping the US charts teaches us about being a game changer
Douglas Young says the elusive road to soft power success will not come by sticking to the straight and narrow, but by taking risks and keeping an eye on youth culture
Someone must be making a conscious effort to push culture as an agenda for penetrating foreign markets. This sort of thing does not happen by accident. Those at the top are able to materialise their vision.
Of the three, soft power is the most difficult to measure. It is for the same reason that it has been the most elusive. Essentially, it appeals to human emotions and is abstract in form. Asian brands have long been trying to capture it, but with scant success. They recognise it to be the essential ingredient for desirability, one that can elevate a brand to another level. The term “class” aptly describes what can be achieved; it is the province of the elites.