Bodyfriend’s headquarters in Gangnam, southern Seoul (The Korea Herald)
Global sensation boy band BTS has recently been named the new faces of Bodyfriend, the Seoul-based global wellness company that produces luxury massage chairs.
Customers who rent or purchase massage chairs until May 20 will receive a poster of the band and seven signed photo cards of the individual members. The promotion is only available for domestic orders.
Since the announcement of the partnership last week, the firm saw a twofold increase in sales over the weekend from the weekend before. While its sales tend to go up around this time of year with Parents’ Day approaching in May, public relations manager Jung Ji-yeon told The Korea Herald that it was still an unexpected boom.
“We believe it speaks to the band’s popularity with our customer base, which has been getting younger, many in their 30s and 40s,” she said. “The elderly also thinks of the group very positively and have responded favorably.”
According to Jung, the partnership with the septet was a result of more than a yearlong courtship.
“Not only does the band’s message to love oneself align with our brand’s philosophy, but BTS has reached global popularity with their unique stories and Bodyfriend also hopes to expand internationally through our adventurous spirit,” she said.
Bodyfriend’s headquarters (The Korea Herald)
Their collaboration became known through a release of two 30-second video clips of the band using the massage chair. In less than a week, each video garnered over 1 million views and 3,000 comments on Bodyfriend’s official YouTube channel.
Four more clips of the band will be released on Saturday and May 1, while their behind-the-scenes clips are only available to watch at Bodyfriend’s offline stores across the country.
While it is uncertain whether the two parties will extend their collaboration after May 20, the company hopes to produce more goods with the band for its customers.
Back in October last year, Bodyfriend set up a “Rest Station” area at the group’s “Love Yourself: Speak Yourself” concert in Seoul for fans to test out the brand’s massage chairs.
Before BTS, the firm had collaborated with other leading global brands including Disney, Marvel, Lamborghini and Koenigsegg.
By Kwon Yae-rim (
kyr@heraldcorp.com)
