S.M. Company has the following departments: the draft department that found the "future star"; "Starlight College" training department for training new people; A record production department that grasps the market trend, embodies the singer's style and creates a realistic visual sense; Recording and post-production record production department (A & amp； r)； Marketing department responsible for publicity and sales; Contact the media to publicize the singer's propaganda department; And explore the potential value of singers and plan advertising concerts. In fact, there are no fewer than dozens of entertainment companies in South Korea, including JYP Entertainment, DSP Entertainment, Raffour Entertainment, DR Music, Music Factory, Good Media, and C. I Media SM. It is because of the unique vision and complete professional operation system of the company's leadership that they have created HOT, An Qixuan, Myth, Bao Er, Wen Xijun, S.E.S, FlytotheSky, etc. Super junior, Elegant Band, Girlhood, shinee, etc.
Step 1: Draft &; Training (drafting department, training department)
In the early 1990s, S.M. still clearly distinguished these two links. When HOT was founded, Jin traveled all over the country as an agent to find so-called "talented" talents, thus absorbing Kontha and others. Director Li Xiuman chose TONYAN from the United States, while Zhang Youhe attracted attention because of his outstanding performance in the dance competition. When the myth that swept Asia took shape, the company began to establish a draft mechanism. 1996, the company selected Andy, lead singer Shen Huicheng, and eric who had trained with HOT before, and selected Jin Dongwan in the Korean local draft, while Li Minyu was favored by S.M. Company because of his own band and winning the Korean dance competition, and Jin Jun was recommended to SM Company by Kontha because of his good artist talent. Through a series of drafts, 1997, the company initially identified the people it wants to train. Then the devil training began, and the personnel remained the same. However, with the growing desire of young Korean stars, more and more potential children stand out, which means that the competition is becoming more and more fierce. So S.M. Company gradually combined this draft with training. Entering the company through the draft does not mean becoming an artist. At this time, we have not signed a contract with the company. In further training, the company will eliminate some people. At present, the company holds two large-scale selection competitions every year and an internal selection meeting once a week. Take the boy group "TVXQ!!" It was just established in 2004, and it became popular in Asia this year. All its five members were excavated and trained by S.M.' s new talent selection and training institution. At first, they were captains of five different groups. Through continuous training and selection, they were able to form their dream group-"TVXQ!!" .
In this step, several features stand out.
First of all, stars are younger. Younger idols have become a common phenomenon all over the world. From the perspective of industry profits, young people can earn more money for the company for a few years. The sooner they recognize talents, the lower the packaging cost and the stronger the plasticity, which is conducive to the company's training. From the analysis of industry characteristics, the entertainment circle is a young people's industry, and only young people are fresh and dazzling. For example, 1997, SM Company has drawn up a strategy to cultivate a big-name star who can represent Asia. Because from the situation in South Korea, girls have more convenient conditions to enter overseas markets, so Bao Er was the future star selected by South Korea at that time. At that time, she was only 1 1 years old, and she was only in the fifth grade when she was interviewed, but her singing and dancing proved that she had the talent of a star. At that time, three or four songs were all classics of S.E.S, and dance was also the most popular hip-hop dance step at that time. Her outstanding performance was praised by the commentator present, and her parents had to agree at the strong request of the record company. From the moment he passed the interview, Bao Er began to receive special training. Most of the newly released Korean stars are 18 and 19 years old, which shows how young their debut age is.
Although younger stars have become a necessary condition for fame, they are not without shortcomings. Because they became famous too early, too young to wear the crown too early. Although these idol singers have paid a pure flower season and a healthy growth environment for this, it is an irreversible youth progress. However, what exists is reasonable. With fame and fortune, you will inevitably lose something. This is the characteristic of this industry.
Second, strict training. This is a necessary stage for children to become famous. When making idols, any entertainment company in Korea not only requires artists to have the talent to become idols, but also requires artists to receive strict post-training This is especially true in SM Company. Take HOT, who caused China's "Korean Wave", as an example. Before the release of his first album, Zhang Youhe fell to the ground with the problem of shoulder pain when dancing after 12- 16 hours of intensive training every day. Sometimes everyone was too tired to get up on the floor. TVXQ!'s training process! What is rapidly becoming popular this year is simply hell. Member Shia spent more than seven years standing in front of the curtain. Sometimes, these five 16-and 17-year-old boys practice from afternoon till after 1 1 pm. When they feel that they have finished singing, they sing it to the person in charge of the company, but the person in charge is still not satisfied after listening. Five boys continued their internship, accompanied by all the relevant personnel of the company. At the beginning, HOT learned to dance and sing every day 12 hours. They must dance with their inner thighs tied during practice, so that they can remember the movements correctly. In addition, in order to accumulate stage experience, they also became the dancers of the singer Liu Rong (now director SM). The company not only strictly trains them to sing and dance, but also trains them in language expression and expression, so that they can speak calmly whenever and wherever there is a camera. It took them two years to make their debut in Korea from 1996 to China in 2000, which triggered the "Korean Wave". As for training Asian-oriented stars, besides these, language training is also needed.
Third, a large number of combined attacks. Combination is the entertainment product that brokerage companies like and are good at. S.M. Company has successfully launched several groups such as HOT, SES, Myth and TVXQ!! , Grace band, and the latest 13 group super junior after 3-4 years of selection and elimination. The reason why the investment portfolio is launched is that the investment portfolio can meet the demand of "radish and cabbage have their own love" with the joint efforts of several people, and ensure that the company's investment does not all sink. At the same time, after joining the army, the company can determine the superstar to be launched next according to the popularity of the group. Therefore, it is not uncommon for Korean groups to close and split quickly. Moreover, the original combination was decided by the company, and the dissolution was also decided by the company. In many cases, this is not decided by the combination members. Because the members and S.M. Company have different opinions on whether to stay or not, the myth jumps to the good side. This is not bad. HOT was forced to break up by the company because his arm couldn't twist his thigh. It can be seen that combination is a common strategy in Korean entertainment industry, as the touchstone of the market.
Fourth, pay enough attention. Although the training is very strict and hard, the company attaches great importance to new people. In terms of funds, S.M. Company has spent a lot of money on all-round training for artists. In terms of manpower, the company will be equipped with the best teachers, songwriters and veterans in the field of folk songs to give guidance to newcomers. For example, in order to make Bao a perfect singer, S.M. Company invited many art experts as her special teachers. As the director of Bao Er Dance, he is the best choreographer in Japan. In addition, her debut album also invited famous Korean composers Liu Rongzhen, Jin Xingxi, Jiang Yuanxiang and Fang to help out.
Step 2: Production (record production and production department)
Korean artists from the star-making mechanism generally have little personal freedom. Because they have been trained by the company since childhood, their singing style is determined at the time of training according to their personal characteristics and cannot be changed according to their personal preferences. Especially when I first started out, even if I was creative, I wouldn't publish my own works. Every song and every style is carefully created by the company according to its development goals.
Well-made, blending a variety of popular elements. From the very beginning, S.M. Company has been committed to making music suitable for the whole Asian market and satisfying the pursuit of young people in Asia. Before packaging and promoting artists, companies usually take time to carefully analyze local basic culture, music and other popular elements, and integrate Korean artists to avoid risks to the greatest extent. Here I want to prove it from the opposite side. In 2004, a domestic music company released a collection of the best original songs in Mandarin in 2004, among which 13 original songs of popular Chinese songs finally surfaced in China. Roughly speaking, in recent years, more than 80 famous singers in China have covered more than 100 Korean songs. Among them, there are many famous stars, such as Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Liming, Xu Zhian, She, etc., all of whom have had close contact with Han Le. Looking back at singers in Chinese mainland and Taiwan Province, it seems that "newcomer+cover Korean music = inevitable popularity" has become an unbeaten law. Mainlanders, on the other hand, pay more attention to originality. Only a few singers, such as Sun Nan, Sun Yue, Na Ying and Chen Lin, have had cover experience. It can be seen that Korean pop music has been made by the upper class.
Incorporate local elements. If the company decides to let an artist enter the Asian market, the first thing is to train the language. For example, artists of S.M. Company hold concerts in Shanghai, and members of TVXQ!! Grace said hello to the audience in Chinese and introduced themselves. The second is to use songs in local languages. It can be a cover of the original Korean songs, or it can be adapted and composed to introduce new songs suitable for the local area. For example, in order to enter the China market, both Myth and Bao Er have launched Chinese songs. In this regard, we have to admire the Koreans for their meticulous and sufficient preparations.
Step 3: Marketing (Marketing Department, Propaganda Department)
I classify all the work about packaging publicity as marketing. In fact, in the whole star-making mechanism, the manufacturing process of stars is exactly the same as that of ordinary products, from material selection, processing, finished products, inspection to marketing, trading and brand effect. And marketing should be the top priority in the whole process of making stars. S.M. Company is also full of tricks in the commercial promotion of this artist.
First, determine the target consumers. This process includes three steps: market segmentation, target market selection and market positioning. Market segmentation is the process of dividing the market into different buyer groups with different needs, characteristics and behaviors, and these groups need different products or marketing combinations. After segmentation, the company will choose the target market. When the market is selected, the company must also decide what position it wants to achieve in these target markets. Market positioning refers to the arrangement that makes products occupy a clear, special and ideal position in the eyes of target consumers relative to competitive products. In this regard, Korean entertainment companies have done a very good job. S.M. Company will make a detailed plan before introducing each new person. For example, for Bao Er's debut, the company intends to let her enter the overseas market, first gain a foothold in the Korean domestic market, and then attack the Japanese market on a large scale. At present, it seems that remarkable results have been achieved. Next, Bao Er will enter the China market, which can be seen from the time she started to make Chinese songs. On the other hand, since the dissolution of HOT, An Qixuan has been focusing on the China market. Because HOT had gained considerable popularity in China before, An Qixuan entered the China market very smoothly, and held a solo concert in China this year. When the company has selected the target market and positioned the market, it will increase or improve the artist's ability in a certain aspect through various means such as training to adapt to this positioning. Like learning a language.
China is basically vacant in this step, and most entertainment companies have not made detailed plans, mostly following their feelings. Therefore, the blindness of its packaging artists is greater, which increases the risk of investment failure.
Second, design the marketing mix. A set of controllable tactical marketing methods used to create the expected response in the target market. The classical theory puts forward four variables, namely 4P theory: product, pricing, distribution and promotion.
Let's talk about products first. Entertainment products are as special as TV and other media products. Firstly, artists are products of entertainment companies, and secondly, artists' records are also products of the company. And the sales of records depend on the artists themselves. Therefore, artists are the first important product. First of all, quality comes first, and this problem can be solved well through strict training. The best example is that in various entertainment programs in Korea, artists can improvise or improvise. Its level can be seen. Secondly, for this product, the company needs to design different routes for packaging. According to the target market mentioned above, design the route of each artist according to the market positioning, and highlight the characteristics to distinguish it from other products. So many adjectives have become synonymous with artists. For example, sexy is synonymous with Lee Hyo Ri. Because of her success, many female artists are now taking the sexy route, and most of them are decided by the company. A few years ago, cuteness was synonymous with Dana under S.M., because Dana was only 15 years old when she debuted, but this strategy did not achieve great success. Therefore, S.M. Company immediately changed its strategy and included Dana in the women's quartet "The Grace band" launched last year, which also set a precedent for her to be an independent singer when she debuted and then join the group. Judging from the current achievements, this strategy of S.M. Company is correct. After designing the route, it is necessary to dress up its appearance carefully. If you are an idol singer, you have a high demand for appearance. For example, boys with a height of less than 180 cm are not allowed to talk about it, and girls with not too hard figure, stiff nose, not big eyes and not good facial contour are not considered. And those singers who debut, in order to make themselves more perfect, constantly cut their faces. Of course, it doesn't mean that there are no super singers in Korea. YGfamily Entertainment has many such powerful singers, and they are also very good in the local market, but they have not done much in overseas markets. Besides looks, Han Xing's clothes and hairstyle are also elegant. The company spends a lot of money to package them, and there are special clothing consultants. For the seniors who have been debuting for a long time, they all have their own beauty salons, which are responsible for beauty and hairstyle. Therefore, Han Xing often leads the fashion trend, and is the object of teenagers' imitation. Attention to this aspect has also increased the popularity of artists. In China's "Korean Wave", clothes and hairstyles account for a large proportion.
For the second product record. Packaging lies in the arrangement, the cover poster of the record, the attached content and so on. In order to further explore potential products, SM releases a series every winter and summer. In the collection, the title songs and MVs sung by all artists in the company have become the most anticipated music works for fans during the winter and summer vacations. In the MV, the artists had fun and showed a happy "SM family portrait".
Pricing. Or divided into two parts. The first is the artist. This is fully reflected in the artist's worth, which is the price when signing the company. The average artist's worth depends on his popularity in the market, but this popularity is afterwards, so the company occupies a favorable position when signing the contract, so most of them are not equal. In order to prevent artists from jumping ship after becoming popular, SM Company has always clearly stipulated that if an actor violates the contract, he must pay liquidated damages and compensation, which has been generally accepted by Korean entertainment circles. Other companies also adopt this regulation or similar regulations. However, the amount of liquidated damages and compensation of SM Company is huge. Even 3-5 times higher than the usual regulations. Therefore, it has brought great pressure to the actors, and it is almost impossible to change jobs during the signing period. The second is the record. Records are ordinary commodities, so their pricing is carried out in a general way. As for the revenue share of records, it is worth mentioning that an ordinary Korean singer can get 100 won for selling a record, but the combination needs to be divided equally. Therefore, when HOT sold a record, everyone only got 20 won (RMB 0. 16 yuan), and then reduced it to the official royalty tax, leaving only 7 won (RMB 50 cents). It can be seen that it is not easy for Korean artists to make money, and they are also "exploited" by the company. Of course, the company's previous investment is also huge.
Distribution. This is mainly aimed at the output of artists. For example, how to sell records, how to distribute goods, and how to make channels online. Buy goods in major record stores, and according to the rebate, let this store put the records in a conspicuous position and put up posters. Generally speaking, for a big company like S.M., it has formed its own record sales channel and regularly supplies it. With the vigorous development of the network, network mp3 download has also become a new profit growth point, so the network has become a new channel and a new battlefield for major record companies. S.M. also realized that in 2002, it co-founded ——FANDANGO KOREA, an online entertainment company, with Japan's FANDANGO JAPAN, Gibbon Group and AVEX*** to seize the initiative of online competition.
Promotion. For the company, it is necessary not only to create fine products, but also to tell customers the advantages of products and seriously establish the image of the brand in the eyes of customers. To do this, we must skillfully use advertising, promotion and public relations. This is our traditional propaganda.
Mode 1: Advertising. Participate in various programs of South Korean radio and TV stations (mainly KBS, MBC and SBS) to increase exposure. The main way for artists to become popular is to be exposed in the entertainment media, including entering the charts. The list controlled by TV stations provides a visible yardstick to measure whether the combination is popular or not. And more TV, new songs can be on these lists. Some people think that these lists are conducive to the CD sales of singers who often appear on TV, and fan voting is only a minority in South Korea. All this shows that being on TV is more important than doing anything else. Most importantly, it can appear in more than 20 TV programs of South Korea's three major TV companies MBC, KBS and SBS, and sometimes it only broadcasts the singer's MTV on several major TV stations. There are mainly two kinds of programs here. The first is the folk program. The survey results show that singers belonging to top planning companies such as S.M Entertainment, YG, I-STAR, International Music, IVY Music SIDUS, etc. 10 appear in ballad programs such as KBS Music Bank, SBS Popular Ballads and MBC Music Camp, accounting for more than 40% of all singers. Among them, singers belonging to S.M. Company have the most appearances. Followed by entertainment programs. At present, the more famous ones are Love Letter, X-Men, Happy Together, Night Heart, Ten Thousand Yuan Happiness, Female Hero, MBC TV Sitcom, Non-stop SBS reverse drama and so on. Stars participating in TV entertainment programs can achieve a win-win situation. On the one hand, artists enhance their popularity and promote records through programs. South Korea's entertainment programs are quite mature, and the stars are quite cooperative. The natural state allows the public to further understand the personality, character and specialty of the star. It is because I watched Korean entertainment programs that I got to know Korean singers and became interested in them. On the other hand, TV stations improve ratings through the popularity of artists. Because the stars appear, fans have to watch every issue, so they can lock the audience in this way. The most fundamental reason why TV stations can cooperate with artists in such a comprehensive way is that they all have marketing ideas and understand that audiences or fans are the foundation of their survival now. Therefore, whether in the program setting or the cooperation of stars, we attach great importance to the consideration from the perspective of the audience. Through cooperation, both sides can achieve their respective goals. Of course, driven by the interests of both sides, bribery is inevitable. Because bribing TV and radio programs with high ratings or high listening rate can give those unknown geniuses more opportunities to grow into superstars. In fact, with the intensification of competition, basically only one of the 20 newcomers can succeed in the upper position. In order to keep the investment from being wasted, it has become necessary for the company to spend money on exposure. While paying bribes, big entertainment companies are gradually controlling radio programs. After the dissolution of HOT, S.M. banned the other three contestants and warned TV stations and other media that if JTL was allowed to appear, our singer would never come to the relevant TV stations. In addition to traditional media, more and more people are beginning to pay attention to new media. Entertainment companies have increased the publicity of artists on the Internet. Almost every star has his own personal homepage, which contains not only the latest official news, but also the artist's own messages, which can interact with you through the internet. In addition, some new songs should be put online to further expand the scope of publicity.
Mode 2: Promotion. On-site signing is a particularly good example. Being able to get close to the stars and get their autographs is tantamount to a 50% discount for fans, and its temptation is very great. In addition, it is also a common way to promote artists' photos on records. Elaborate limited edition records are also a great temptation for loyal fans. Often in the limited edition, there are things that have never been released or are relatively private to satisfy the desire of fans.
Mode 3: Open * * * relationship. We can achieve our goals through public welfare activities and special events, but the most important thing is to make good use of news. The first two are easier to understand. Generally speaking, when the new album is released, there will be an album release conference, a fan meeting at the end of the year, a small birthday party on the birthday, and sometimes fans will attend. Through some charity performances or donations, you can establish a good image and leave a good reputation. At present, these two forms of public relations have not been well developed in China. The fan meeting is very casual, and it is entirely up to the artist to be brave. Obviously didn't realize their importance. The most powerful tool in public relations is news. We should not only make good use of existing news, but also make news when necessary. This does not mean fabricating news, but attracting attention through actions, so as to achieve the purpose of creating news. Like gossip, hype something. At this point, we must attach great importance to the network, because the update speed of network news is the fastest, and many news are the first to burst out on the network.
Mode 4: Participate in the selection of various awards. This method is a unique way to promote sales in this industry. First of all, the authoritative award is a full affirmation of the singer's strength. Through these items, you can increase the attention of the audience and ensure your popularity. Entertainment companies also attach great importance to this, and there are many shady ones.
Compared with the complicated and diverse commercial promotion in Han Xing, our local stars are much more relaxed. On the one hand, there are not so many well-made entertainment programs in domestic media, on the other hand, entertainment companies are not aware of the importance of such entertainment programs. I often see stars wrapped in gauze in Korean entertainment programs, which also shows that Han Xing is often urged by one announcement after another and doesn't even have a chance to breathe. It is this comprehensive publicity and their unremitting efforts that have made them what they are today.
Step 4: Banknote printing machine for recovering investment (agency department)
Through the above series of measures, the company has invested a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources to build a star. Of course, the cost is also quite large. Before a future superstar becomes famous, the company must have at least $50,000 to promote them, and the exposure of key training targets will cost about $350,000, which is only used on TV. Finally, the money needs to be earned back by making the singer popular. Like other industrial laws, high cost inevitably means high income. While Koreans spend high operating costs to package idols, they also get the benefits that others envy. SM artist HOT's fourth album "I YAH" sells well all over the world, with sales exceeding120,000 copies. After Bao Er entered the Japanese market, the sales of three albums released exceeded 654.38+0 million. The fourth album, which officially entered the China market, included Bao Er's "My Name" and "My Prayer" sung in Chinese, and it is planned to sell 200,000 copies. Idol group "TVXQ!!" It is equally amazing in making money. In the last three months alone, the cost of advertising shooting was as high as 350 million won, and the advertising cost of its debut year alone was about 654.38+04 billion won. Of course, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Without the special training of the company, there would be no stars who make a lot of money today. So most of the money earned by Han Xing belongs to the company.
After receiving favorable comments, the value of artists becomes considerable. With such resources, the company is absolutely unwilling to be lonely. Almost all entertainment companies in Korea pay more attention to open source, which is the development of related products. Fame is a huge intangible asset of entertainment companies, and all companies try their best to maximize its utility. For example, a variety of limited edition and revised records are launched every year for fans to buy repeatedly; Hold various concerts at home and abroad; Let artists shoot all kinds of advertisements and become product spokespersons; If possible, pick up Korean idol dramas; To be a TV host or something, and the income from these activities is of course the bulk of the company. With the further improvement of artists' fame, it can also promote the income of records. Thereby forming a virtuous circle.
At this point, a complete set of Korean star-making operation mechanism has emerged. From the comparison of each link, the entertainment circle in China is far behind, and there are many places worth learning from. After all, this is pop music and the most changeable entertainment circle. If you want to make a difference in this field, you must constantly update your ideas, keep up with the trend of the times, and even lead the trend of the times. From the perspective of entertainment companies, the renewal of ideas is the first problem to be solved. "The smell of wine is not afraid of the depth of the alley" is no longer suitable for fast food entertainment. Learning from the management concepts of other industries, such as marketing, will bring unexpected benefits to the company. For artists, there are many things to reflect on. Their degree of specialization is still very low, and singers don't just sing. The quality and intensity of their work need to be further improved. With China's increasing attention to the cultural industry, I believe that in the near future, there will also be excellent entertainment brokerage companies like South Korean S&M company in China.