LOCAL telecommunications company Smart Communications has named K-pop boy group BTS as its newest endorser, continuing its trend of having popular Korean celebrities as brand ambassadors.
Prior to the announcement, Manny V. Pangilinan, chairman of the company, posted a cryptic Facebook post saying, “You asked for it, we’re giving it to you. Watch out for the event partnership of the year at 5 p.m.” The text was followed by a green heart and a purple heart which gave some fans of the group hints that the biggest K-Pop group would be the Smart’s newest endorser. Purple is the band’s official color and green is Smart’s color.
The 5 p.m. reveal showed the Grammy-nominated group in a 30-second clip announcing that they are joining the Smart fold. The group’s first campaign is set to be released in the first quarter of the year with a focus on inspiring “the Filipino youth to keep pursuing their Passion with Purpose,” said a caption on the launch video.
“Aside from their remarkable talent, BTS emerged as the biggest band in the world because of their meaningful and uplifting music that brings hope and encouragement to fans especially in the bleakest of times. It is therefore a big honor to welcome BTS to the Smart family so we may inspire more Filipinos to find purpose in everything they do and ultimately live Smarter for a Better World,” Alfredo S. Panlilio, president and CEO of Smart, said in a statement.
Smart previously tapped Korean actors Hyun Bin, Son Ye Jin, and Park Seo Joon to represent the company.
BTS is widely considered the biggest K-pop group to date, with hit songs “Dynamite” and “Boy With Luv” successfully charting in the Billboard Hot 100 charts with the former debuting at No. 1.
The band was also nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 63rd Grammy Awards.
“We’re here to support Smart’s goal to inspire our Filipino fans to live their lives with passion and purpose … no matter the challenges that lie ahead,” the group said in the launch video.
“Just like BTS who are able to inspire millions of young people all over the world through their music, Smart Prepaid aims to bring about amazing experiences to the Filipino youth through technology to make life easy, fast, and simple. This way, the young generation are empowered to immerse in their interests and succeed with their pursuits,” said Jane J. Basas, Smart SVP and consumer wireless business head in the same statement. — ZBC