*Cue Fanfare*
It’s been three weeks since ‘Catch Me’ was released, and TVXQ has been toping album sales chart on every day of those three weeks, even on the real-time charts! This phenomenon can be attributed to effective marketing strategy on SM’s part.
Consider how a consumer makes decisions: they recognize a need, search for information regarding how to fulfill that need, consider the alternative options, makes the purchase, and considers the product post-purchase.
For Cassiopeias (fanclub name of TVXQ), the decision-making process when it comes to TVXQ is already habitual. We don’t even think of the alternative options and makes the purchase without buyer’s remorse.
SM Entertainment creates value for TVXQ as a product. TVXQ offers a variety of music, photo albums, and fanservice. It also, with its distinct five members, uses differentiated targeting method in order to attract customers (fans) of different market segments (ages, income level, gender, etc).
Then, SM sets a price in order to capture the value of TVXQ: it is high enough to earn TVXQ a prestigious status but low enough so that their fanbase can afford it. Fans also give up more than money; they line up for concerts and filmings, put energy into fanprojects, and lose additional money when donating to charities under the name of their idols.
What about place and promotion? Watch out for a continuation of this post! *Tease*