Following her comeback, THIS female idol, known as K-pop's OG "It Girl," spared discussions for her "weakening effect" among music fans.
OG 'It Girl' Lee Hyori Returns in Music and Advertisement Industries After Long Hiatus
The "Nation's Fairy" and "It Girl" Lee Hyori finally returned as a soloist after six years. Since the icon released her studio album, "BLACK," in 2017, Hyori didn't make a solo comeback aside from seasonal music projects.
On October 12, the former Fin. K.L member dropped her new single, "HOODIE E BANBAJI," a song introduced as an "easy listening" music. The hook of the song are the lyrics "Hoodie e banbaji," repeatedly mentioned throughout the song.
Following her comeback, Hyori also returned to the advertisement scene after 11 years for the internet shopping platform, "Lotte On."
Despite her influence and popularity, the icon surprised netizens with the seemingly cold public opinion, raising doubts about what happened to the so-called "Lee Hyori effect" who can sell out any item in a flash during her heyday.
Starting to her comeback, Lee's song as of the 18th can't be found on the MelOn Top 100 daily chart, and even on the weekly charts. The idol's MV is reaching 1M views, but compared to IVE's "Baddie" released on the same day, which gained 11.71M views in five days, it is incomparable.
Regarding her return to the commercial industry, Hyori also failed to claim the "CF Queen" title. Negative feedback from consumers is pouring in, such as:
- "There is no reason to buy more because of Hyori. Be price competitive with expensive advertising models."
- "I didn't even watch it."
- "If you have money to spend on advertising, you should lower the price of your items."
Analysts say that she is only giving the impression of falling behind while trying to follow the changes of the times.
Regarding "Lotte On," which announced Lee Hyori's return to commercial advertising, some say that it has caused marketing adverse effects.
K-Media Points Out Reasons for Negative Reactions to Lee Hyori's Comeback in Music and Ad World
According to the media outlet Ten Asia, there are significant reasons Lee Hyori failed to maintain her image as an icon in both the music and advertisement industries.
Firstly, listeners criticized her comeback song and described it as a track with no "one shot," and "too plain," continuously talking negatively about Hyori's vocals.
In the past, Lee Hyori would have ranked at the top of the music charts upon release, but now she has to go around the top 100 and seek "reverse driving." It also means that the music market has changed.
In terms of her commercial advertisement, the advertising industry points out that no matter how famous a star is, an image contact between the star and the brand is needed. "Lotte On" is a latecomer among shopping platforms. They chose Lee Hyori as an advertising model because they needed to promote the brand.
However, as the image contact between Lee Hyori and Lotte On has not been created, it is recognized as Lee Hyori's return to advertising rather than the platform's advertising.
The star has also built an easy-going image rather than enjoying shopping, thus, it is difficult for consumers to form a consensus if she suddenly advertises for a shopping platform.
Ten Asia added:
"The icon of the times changes. Lee Hyori's popularity is not as high as before. In the era of "Jennie," will "Hyori" protect her territory?"
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Written by Eunice Dawson.
