BTS, arguably, is one of the most successful K-pop bands from South Korea to make a massive impact worldwide. They have a huge and loyal fan base called the ARMY, who follow every move of the stars and take inspiration from them.
With such immense popularity, it is but no wonder that the Bangtan Boys are among the most coveted groups for advertisements. The group has a sort of Midas touch, where whatever they promote or are seen wearing or carrying, is often sold out in hours. and become hugely in demand.
The year 2021 has been a very successful one for the superstar boys. In addition to ruling the award shows, bagging grand prizes in them, the group also signed many advertisement deals, thereby making a whopping amount.
One of the biggest associations was tying up with McDonald's for BTS Meal, which earned the boy band $8.89 million. The group also promoted Hyundai, Samsung, Fila, and the Korean beer brand Kloud this year. Internationally, the boys are global ambassadors for French luxury giant Louis Vuitton.
According to South Korea's Entertainment Weekly Live, BTS has made over $55 million until now this year through advertisements alone. Most of the lucrative advertisement deals came from their home country of South Korea itself. According to The Korea Times, Companies often pay the band anything in the range of $2.69 million - $4.48 million just for domestic advertisements.
BTS managed to keep its finances in place, despite the pandemic and its impact this year. In addition to pocketing money for themselves, the K-pop supergroup also generates a lot of wealth for their home nation.
Reportedly, in 2018 the revenue generated by BTS amounted to more than $4.5 million, a figure which was around 0.3% of the country's GDP that year, putting the Bangtan Boys in the same league as Hyundai and Samsung.
Thanks to the group's influence, many people around the world have become in the culture and language of South Korea, which had led to a growth in tourism for the country. According to Business Insider, an estimated 800,000 tourists chose to travel to South Korea in 2019 because of BTS.
The popularity of the Bangtan Boys also boosted the appeal of South Korean products such as food, cosmetics, and clothes. eBay particularly saw a rise in merchandise sales by more than 50 percent due to BTS.