Last year, BTS’ faces became a mainstay on prominent screens in New York City’s Times Square, thanks to the Korean act’s BT21 collaboration with Line. This week, in commemoration of the group’s fifth anniversary, there are more BTS-dedicated billboards than ever before.
As is becoming increasingly the norm with K-pop acts, BTS’ ARMY rented time on some of the most prominent ad space in NYC for a prominent celebratory ad. Several, multi-story screens were dedicated to the project. According to @BTSNewYorkCity, a Twitter account that aims to represent local New York City ARMY, the ad was bought by seven distinct Twitter users, each of whom have an account that correlates to a specific member of the Korean boy band.
Adspace manager Branded Cities confirmed that fans bought the ad in anticipation of BTS’ anniversary.
The @BTS_twt 5th Anniversary Ad in Times Square, New York, at night ?
Ad by @fate_jimin @MoNiJunNi @jinKissLetsgo @dtownsonic39 @HOPEYES218 @becauseofV95 @jkontop970901#BTSFesta2018#BTSNYC pic.twitter.com/bCN5pOg1Ec
— BTS NYC (@btsnewyorkcity) June 12, 2018
Another celebratory ad came not from fans, but from Korean electronics company LG, for which BTS recently became spokesmodels. On Tuesday, LG Electronics Inc. announced that it was using its ad space in Times Square to celebrate the septet’s fifth anniversary and also advertise their flagship smartphone, the G7 ThinQ, which BTS represents. The phone was released in the United States and Canada earlier this month.
BTS celebrated the milestone through their annual Festa event. The group also appeared on The Late Late Show and held a special concert in Seoul that was live-streamed around the world through Naver’s V App.
The group recently made history as the first-ever Korean act to top the Billboard 200. They are the first Korean group to see a single, “Fake Love,” break into the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.
BTS x LG ??!
?? ?? ?????? ??????. —
BTS, you own Times Square NYC! @BTS_twt @TimesSquareNYC @LGMobileGlobal pic.twitter.com/onIE9iy6zn— First Sight (@firstsight_jk) June 4, 2018