K-pop is having a moment in the U.S., and brands want to share the mic.
Live touring revenue from the genre jumped 79% year over year in the first half of 2025, according to Billboard, with supergroups like Stray Kids and Ateez selling out American stadiums. K-pop artists also dominated the charts, claiming half of the top 10 best-selling physical albums in the U.S., according to entertainment insights company Luminate.
The genre has also made its mark at some of the country’s biggest music festivals over the last two years, with acts like Enhypen, TXT, Le Sserafim, and Twice performing at Coachella and Lollapalooza.
On screen, Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters shattered records as the streamer’s most-watched film ever, with its soundtrack charting at number one in the States.
Brands like Samsung and Mattel moved fast to cash in on the film’s hype. Now, as the genre further cements its hold on U.S. culture, a new generation of K-pop acts is rewriting the rules of brand collaboration. Co-creating products and inking meaningful partnerships with homegrown brands.
In 2024, group TXT teamed up with General Mills for limited-edition cereal boxes featuring the band members’ faces, collectibles that fans snapped up instantly. Walmart has leaned into the space with its K-Pop Personalization Studio, a roving mobile bus that pulls up outside concert stops.
The Empire State Building has become another marquee stage for K-pop activations too. In October, it turned orange for Riize’s tour.
Deeper partnerships
As advertisers look beyond one-off endorsements, K-pop’s next generation is showing how collaboration can deepen fandom and brand loyalty.
Globally, the K-pop market was valued at $8.1 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $20.0 billion by 2031 with an estimated growth of 7.3% annually, per Allied Market Research.
K-pop acts have been breaking into the American mainstream since boy band BTS’s 2020 album “Map of the Soul: 7,” became the first in the genre to sell one million pure copies in the U.S.
Since 2021, the band has worked with Mars Candy and launched their own McDonald’s meal. The band’s BT21 cartoon figures have appeared on products ranging from Crocs and Converse to Dunkin’ Donuts, too.
Girl group Le Sserafim are cementing themselves as a fan favorite in America, too, building a legion of loyal followers dubbed “Fearnots.”
