The rivalry between Smart and Globe, the two leading telecommunications companies in the Philippines, has spilled into K-pop.
Smart Communications announced on Jan. 18 that it has signed up K-pop boy band BTS as its newest brand ambassadors.
“We’re here to support Smart’s goal of inspiring people to live their lives with passion and purpose no matter the challenges that lie ahead. And with that, we’re proud to announce ‘Simple, Smart ako,’” BTS leader RM said in a group video posted by Smart.
PLDT chairman, president and CEO Manny Pangilinan tweeted: “You are this country’s future. Your Passion with Purpose make this world a better place. Be Smart. Be like BTS. #SmartBTS #SimpleSmartAko.”
Last December, Globe announced it signed up K-pop girl group BLACKPINK as its newest endorsers.
“This year has brought unprecedented challenges for everyone, locally and globally. Despite this, we strive to provide customers better everyday experiences that they will enjoy. Having BLACKPINK join the Globe family is proof that we won’t stop bringing the world into our customers’ homes. We want to bring our customers nothing less than the best in entertainment,” says Ernest Cu, Globe’s president and CEO.
Globe later launched the “Reinvent Your World” campaign featuring BLACKPINK that will allow the telecom company to reach out to more customers and to the girl group’s millions of fans in the country.
BTS and BLACKPINK are two of the most popular K-pop groups today with legions of fans not only in the Philippines but around the world.
The two groups emerged as the No. 1 and No. 3 favorite singers in 2020 in South Korea, according to a year-end survey by Gallup Korea.
BTS and BLACKPINK became the top 2 most tweeted about K-pop groups in the Philippines in 2020.
YouTube revealed last December the top 10 trending music videos in the Philippines in 2020. BLACKPINK’s “How You Like That,” “Ice Cream (with Selena Gomez)” and “How You Like That” Dance Performance Video placed Nos. 2, 3 and 7, respectively, while BTS’ “Dynamite” is No. 4.
BTS placed No. 2 and BLACKPINK was No. 3 in Spotify’s list of the most streamed groups in the Philippines in 2020.