Louis Vuitton and McDonald’s Join The BTS Bandwagon

April 22, 2021

K-pop’s biggest boyband BTS has had a bumper week in the global endorsement scene, scoring deals with McDonald’s and Louis Vuitton.

After first sealing a deal with fast food giant McDonald’s to plug a new meal retailing for just over US$6 in nearly 50 countries across the world, the seven member boyband have also been named as celebrity endorsers for luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton.

The Grammy-nominated South Korean group, which also releases English-language songs, has even topped the album charts several times in the United States.

Louis Vuitton – the biggest revenue generator in French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH’s empire – already works with a roster of major Hollywood celebrities, from the likes of Emma Stone and Jennifer Connelly to Jaden Smith. Meanwhile, in China, the label has deals with Liu Yifei and Kris Wu.

Asia – and especially China, where K-pop is also popular – provides major markets for luxury brands, with revenue soaring as COVID-19 restrictions gradually ease.

Louis Vuitton’s artistic director for menswear, Virgil Abloh, who is known for his edgy streetwear inspired creations added the BTS partnership injected “a modern chapter to the House, merging luxury and contemporary culture”.

While luxury brands tend to refrain from working with popular influencers who represent brands that don’t fit their high-status image, the times are changing as reflected by the recent BTS deals.

Neither Louis Vuitton nor McDonald’s disclosed any financial details of their deals with the band.

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