What next for Mirror? Before tragedy struck, Hong Kong boy band’s soaring success was a bright spot amid pandemic gloom
- Some expect advertisers to keep their distance and cancel upcoming promotions featuring band members
- Mirror’s huge appeal benefited ViuTV and advertisers of fast food, banks, telcos and supermarkets
Only days ago, the massive popularity of Hong Kong boy band Mirror had economists and advertising industry veterans gushing about its impact on the city’s entertainment industry and economy.
Since winning ViuTV’s talent competition Good Night Show – King Maker in 2018, the 12-member band’s fame soared, attracting thousands of fans from children and teenagers to women in their 60s.
Endorsement deals poured in next. Last year alone, the band promoted no fewer than 180 brands, appearing in advertisements for everything from consumer products to banks, telecommunications companies, supermarkets, fast food and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines.
It led to talk about a “Mirror effect” on Hong Kong’s gloomy economy, with spillover benefits for composers, dancers, TV dramas and films.
Then came Thursday’s horrific incident during the band’s concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum, when a large screen fell and struck two dancers, leaving one critically injured.
With an inquiry under way and the remaining eight nights of what would have been 12 concerts called off, the big question is, what happens next for Mirror? Will the accident dent its phenomenal success story, push sponsors away and end talk of the “Mirror effect”?