South Korea Invaded by Kpop Groups
South Korea has been invaded, not by it’s neighbor from the North, but from troops of long-legged girls in the guise of carefully manufactured Kpop groups. The small peninsula of around 50 million people has seen an explosion of Kpop girl groups in the past year who all pretty much look and sound alike (arguably) but somehow manage to maintain popularity among a shared fan base. While it might be easy to dismiss this as eye-candy for teenage boys (of which there is some truth) they appear to have considerable staying power among a diverse demographic of both men and women -
“In the past, one or two similar bands won fans and massive popularity, while the rest disappeared quietly after a month or two. What we are experiencing is a brand new phenomenon in which several girl bands are sharing fans and popularity among themselves” – Kim Hong-in
What differentiates this new generation of starlets is their ability to cross multiple mediums such as TV dramas, movies and talk shows in addition to their musical endeavors, possibly accounting for their increased longevity and ability to dominate online as well as offline. Digital downloads have brought in a new era of affordability for casual and fanatical fans alike.
Of course behind all the glamor are entertainment conglomerates with money to burn and who work tirelessly to tweak and perfect each groups image (including the copious use of cosmetic surgery). Most groups spend as much as 2-4 years preparing for their debut and with such demanding schedules nearly all have suffered casualties from fatigue and ill health. Whilst their compexions may be perfect accusations of plagiarism are rife within the industry with lawsuits regularly being filed and many questioning the originality of locally produced content (mostly bubblegum pop).
Whatever the reasons for this uprising it’ll be interesting to see if such a large number of groups can be sustained in a relatively small market and if this trend spreads elsewhere.
To see what it’s all about for yourself videos are provided after the break in HD (apologies to Chinese readers – YouTube is blocked so you wont be able to see them directly). You can also find more info on allkpop.com.
Web Trend Map 2009
For the third year in a row Information Architects Japan have produced a new version of their Web Trend Map (see 2007 / 2008). This year they have surpassed themselves again with a striking new design style based on the Tokyo Metro map. Each trend line on the map is colour coded by industry with each company depicted according to its success and stability. The top 50 influential companies are connected via the “main line” with 111 individual people considered as trend setters also shown clustered around their respective interests (with Steve Jobs, Barack Obama & Eric Schmidt right in the centre at the Emperor’s Palace).
It’s nice to see WordPress (ranked 21) featured as an intersection of the Publishing, Creative & Filter lines with Drupal (ranked 43) situated as its neighbour. Interestingly most of the China web properties (Baidu, Sina, QQ etc.) lie on a branch of the Filter line without any interconnections suggesting that they’re still relatively issolated to that part of the world. Whilst this still the beta version taking a look at it full size is an absolute must – the final version should be released very soon apparently.
I’m thinking I should start some sort of collection to catalogue these types of maps which seem to becoming an increasingly popular form of information visualisation outside their tradition domain of the subway system.
Web Trends Map 2008
Last year Information Architects Japan released the very cool 2007 web trends map. They’ve just posted a “sneak peak” of the new version for 2008 and, whilst it retains the previous general look and feel, it’s even better than before! Now presented using an isometric layout based on the Kantō region as its geographic metaphor the map shows some interesting ideas with Dataportability.org already making an appearance and Google’s Android getting pride of place in Akihabara, the otaku mecca.
I’ll be looking forward to seeing the final full-sized version.
Update (25/01): Beta version of the final map now available!
Never Stop Expanding
Last year when I was living/traveling in China and South Korea I noticed that The North Face outdoor clothing & equipment brand appeared to be particularly popular and that there seemed to be many shiny-looking new stores all over the place (usually in the more expensive shopping malls). The same now seems to be happening in the UK this winter with North Face apparel definitely in fashion (not something I would know anything about mind you!).
A quick google confirms that rapid expansion is afoot and it appears to be crossing the boundary from being a niche brand you might find in outdoor/camping shops to one you find in department stores and individual retail outlets. No doubt you’ll soon be seeing North Face watches, aftershave, and all manor of other miscellanea! I find it interesting to see how many brands try to make this transition but whether there is longevity to this approach I don’t know. After their popularity peaks some continue to do well whilst others fade away. For any business constantly staying on the edge of the supply and demand balance is crucial to their success and in the case of such a global name the logistics of this is no easy task…
The stock of VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC), the company which owns The North Face (amongst many other well recognised brands), seems to be on a downwards turn at the moment but hopefully people will by enough NF gear to survive the bad weather! Personally I think their products are very good, whilst its definitely on the expensive side, it’s usually well made, lasts a long time, and looks the part.
China 101 | Why Outsource to China?
Since coming back from China last year I’ve been thinking a lot about the development going on there and the opportunities for outsourcing. This led me to do quite a lot of research but I found it frustrating that there didn’t seem to be a single good overview of the key facts, trends and opportunities in China in an easily digestible and up-to-date form. Having trawled through goodness knows how many white papers and blogs I decided to write one myself and hopefully provide a starting point for others going down the same path.
The presentation covers the following (with a few nice pictures for good measure):
- Key Facts about China
- Geography – Tier 1 & 2 Cities
- Political Situation
- Cultural Differences (West vs East)
- Beijing 2008 Olympics
- Innovation in China
- Web Companies to Watch
- Outsourcing Trends in China
- Outsourcing Opportunities in China
- Interesting Facts
- Pro’s of Outsourcing to China
- Con’s of Outsourcing to China
- Recommendations
- Conclusions
- Further Reading
Whilst I don’t claim to be an expect on the subject I’d like to think I’m a little better read than the average person on the street and I’m happy to take any feedback on board so please let me know what you think! As things change I’ll endeavor to make improvements and keep it updated.
[ Download PDF (18mb) | Request PPT ]
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
For further reading here are some China-centric blogs worth checking out:
- The China Vortex – good white paper “Why Indian Software Outsourcing Companies are Outsourcing to China”
- China Web 2.0 Review -next generation web developments in China
- China Law Blog – a blog about Chinese law and the legal issues of doing business in China
- China Economics Blog – a place to find information on important issues for China’s economy including economic growth, inequality, stockmarket, shares, exchange rates, the environment, foreign direct investment & WTO
- China Success Stories – China business success stories and commerce
- All Roads Lead to China – China based news analysis, strategic insight, and advice
- China Challenges – explores the various political, economic, and social implications of the rise of the Peoples Republic of China in the 21st Century