KATSEYE was selected as a brand advertisement model for the Super Bowl, North America's largest sports and pop culture event.
According to HYBE-Geffen Records on the 4th, KATSEYE (Danielle, Lara, Manon, Megan, Sophia, Yunchae) will appear in a campaign ad for the global insurance brand State Farm that is scheduled to air during the U.S. professional football (NFL) championship broadcast on the 9th.
In the ad, the six members appear alongside actor Hailee Steinfeld and comedian Keegan-Michael Key. A short clip of KATSEYE performing to Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer was briefly posted the previous day on State Farm's official YouTube channel, drawing attention.
Last year's Super Bowl was watched by about 127.7 million people across U.S. television and streaming platforms. It is so influential that it is called the "flower of the advertising and entertainment market." Combining reports from foreign outlets including the Financial Times, the top rate for a 30-second Super Bowl spot this year exceeded $10 million for the first time in history, and spots sold out at the fastest pace ever.
Super Bowl ads are read as cultural signals declaring a brand's identity and value beyond promotional effects. Beyond mere buzz, a brand's campaign message is repeatedly consumed and discussed online and on social media. Following Grammy Awards stages, KATSEYE's standing is notable as it has firmly secured a place at the center of mega events featuring the world's leading corporations and brands.
As KATSEYE's popularity soars, invitations from major local talk shows are following. Before the Super Bowl ad airs, they will make their first appearance on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which airs on the 5th. On the program's official social media, Fallon posted a video cleverly parodying KATSEYE's new song Internet Girl lyric Eat Zucchini, raising fans' expectations.
KATSEYE was formed through the audition project The Debut: Dream Academy based on the "K-pop methodology," and is considered a representative success case of the "Multi-home, multi-genre" strategy led by Chairman Bang Si-hyuk of HYBE.
They are riding a wave of popularity on major global charts. On the latest U.S. Billboard main song chart Hot 100 (Feb. 7), Gabriela rose to No. 29, marking its 28th week on the chart. Internet Girl ranked 80th on the same chart, up five spots from the previous week. It is the fourth consecutive week with two songs simultaneously charting. Their second EP Beautiful Chaos sat at No. 56 on the main album chart Billboard 200, marking 31 consecutive weeks on the list.
[Photo] HYBE-Geffen Records, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon official social media
[OSEN]