Brief Introduction of “Gangnam Sytle”
In this year’s summer, a highly contagious singing and dancing video named “Gangnam Style” spotlights its creator, a South Korean rapper whose name is Park Jae-sang, and is usually called Psy(abbreviation for “Psycho”). He grew up in the Gangnam District of Seoul, and had a brief experience of studying in the United States. By his original performance in the video, Psy creates a fashionable and humorous sense which wins the Koreans’ favor, and serendipitously, that of the Americans.
The term “Gangnam Style” refers to a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam district, an rich area where people are trendy, and are keen to consume to show their riches. The district is an archipelago of the best-known South Korean brands whose total value approximates 84 billion US dollars.
With a mindset of “dress classy and dance cheesy”, Psy in the video, performs the “Gangnam Style dance”, a comical horse-riding dance, and appears in unexpected locations around the Gangnam District, wearing black sunglasses and several distinctive suits. In an ironic style, the “non-Gangnam” Psy portrays the Gangnam image, and demonstrates the funniness of being materialistic-oriented. At the same time, he satirizes those who want to be a Gangnam member but know nothing about those who live there.
“People who are actually from Gangnam never proclaim that they are-it’s only the posers and wannabes that put on these airs and say that they are “Gangnam Style” – so this song is actually poking fun at those kinds of people who are trying so hard to be something that they’re not.”
-Psy
“Gangnam Style” – An International Success of Online Marketing
The release of the video on YouTube on July 15 resulted in viral spread, as of October 13, the video has been viewed over 460 million times on this site. On September 20, “Gangnam Style” was recognized by Guinness World Records as the most “liked” video in YouTube history. T-pain acclaims in his Twitter that “words cannot even describe how amazing this video is”, and this Twitter is forwarded over 2400 times.
With the song becoming more and more popular, the parodies spring 강남홀덤 up internationally one after another. It is reported that Psy has waived his copyright to the music video, which allows the inspired to easily adopt, re-stylize and then spread the song. Brian Gozun from De La Salle University comments that the absence of a copyright and the use of crowdsourcing are some of the more innovative ways that Psy has marketed his song.
Psy Collaborates with Jill Stuart
Psy has become a fashion idol. His portrait appears on the McDonald’s , as well as Samsung’s Zipel refrigerator series. His saying “dress classy and dance cheesy” brings him the chance to collaborate with Jill Stuart. According to Fashionista.com, relevant series will be launched in Asia only, indicating Stuart’s intelligent, effective yet risky tactic of developing an unfamiliar market by adopting an accepted style.
Some Lessons from “Gangnam Style”
In the Harvard Business Review, Dae Ryun Chang pointed out that “In the end, ‘Gangnam Style’ may turn out to be a one-hit wonder. But by emulating the reasons for its success, businesses can become hit-generating machines”. He summarizes three points.