Advertisers pursue Psy for commercials

Psy dances ‘Gangnam Style’ in LG Uplus’ LTE commercial. (LG Uplus)

Corporate advertisers are rushing to sign Korean rapper and singer Psy to do his bizarre and comical horseback-riding dance in their commercials from his latest hit music video “Gangnam Style.”

Psy is in talks with six companies to appear in their ads, said an official with YG Entertainment, a music talent agency with which the singer is affiliated.

The official, however, said the company cannot yet disclose the names of the brands Psy will be promoting possibly over the next six months to one year, unless approved by the advertisers.

LG Uplus, the smallest of Korea’s three telecom operators, was lucky enough to tap Psy as the country’s first company to have him star in its Long Term Evolution television commercial, “Uplus Style.”

Following this LG commercial and the music video, various news sources reported that Psy’s fees and earnings, including for ads and promotional events, may have reached as high as 10 billion won.

The “Gangnam Style” music video has so far received over 60 million viewers on Youtube, where YG Entertainment has been using one of the main new media platforms to feature its songs and singers since 2008.

YG attributes this success to new media, which has “torn down” the walls and borders between culture and technology, allowing people anywhere in the world to enjoy content, the YG official explained.

Since its debut on July 15, Psy has attracted growing attention worldwide appearing in overseas TV programs, including music channel VH1 in the U.S., while his music video ranks at the top of the iTunes music chart.

Psy started his career with the song “Bird,” offering a different look that was often labeled weird and wacky but hilarious. It has been the singer’s notable trademark since then.

The singer said in a recent interview that the flash animation character Mashimaro, also known as “Yeopki Toki” or bizarre bunny in English, was his main competitor when he debuted.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)