When Industry and Fandom Meet

BTS and K-pop fans in general were very active. Several forces were behind the buying frenzy of BTS Meal at McDonald\'s outlets: the powers of global industry, social media, and BTS fandom.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Long queues of online motorcycle taxi drivers who will take BTS Meal orders from customers at McDonald\'s Green Garden fast food restaurant, West Jakarta, Wednesday (9/6/2021).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Several forces were behind the buying frenzy of BTS Meal at McDonald\'s outlets: the powers of global industry, social media, and BTS fandom. This industrial phenomenon will continue.

On Wednesday (9/6/2021), members of the BTS ARMY, the official name of the K-pop boyband’s fans, welcomed the launch of the Chicken McNuggets BTS Meal with great fanfare in Indonesia and several other countries.

Indonesian fans stormed McDonald\'s outlets or ordered through online food delivery services, with the phenomenon receiving global media attention. This is because the launch of the BTS Meal has not been as popular in other countries as it has been in Indonesia, at least as of now.

Just being able to taste their favorite food is really fun.

Tria Dianti, who was among customers waiting in line to buy the BTS Meal, acknowledged that she had been waiting for the BTS Meal since the collaboration between BTS and McDonald\'s was announced three months ago. A self-professed BTS ARMY member since 19 Aug. 2020, she felt she had to have the BTS Meal, because the seven BTS band members really liked the dipping sauce in it.

"Just being able to taste their favorite food is really fun," Tria said in Jakarta on Thursday (10/6).

She bought seven BTS Meals, one for each band member, as a token of her love for the group. Earlier, she purchased various BTS souvenirs worth Rp 3 million (US$210).

THEO WARGO/GETTY IMAGES FOR THE RECORDING ACADEMY/AFP

BTS performing at the Grammy Awards on March 14, 2021.

In South Tangerang, Banten, Thereseia Benita (28) bought two BTS Meals through the McDelivery and GoFood apps because she grew curious about the public excitement surrounding it. She said the BTS Meal tasted just the same as usual. What made it different was the sauce and, of course, the packaging with BTS’ photograph. For her, buying the BTS Meal was one way to show her love for the boyband.

Since becoming a BTS fan in 2019, Thereseia has regularly purchased BTS souvenirs like mugs, hand warmers, tumblers, the band’s album Butter in vinyl, and now, the BTS Meal.

“I bought these things because I want to support BTS, to have a keepsake, to be a part of [their] history, and also as a memento so I can tell my children and grandchildren, \'Oh, when I was young, I was an ARMY [member],’” she said.

I bought these things because I want to support BTS.

It is different for Nisa Sabrina (30) in Cilegon, Banten, who also bought the BTS Meal. While she was an ARMY member, her idol, Thai actor Up Poompat, liked Chicken McNuggets.

Rachael Defandi (27) bought the BTS Meal in Jakarta because she appreciated the hard work and humility of both the BTS and ARMY members.

"I bought the BTS Meal not to prove my identity as a true fan. I\'m not a diehard fan, but I like their work. I\'m a legitimate ARMY member. Yes, I\'m happy," she said.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

An online motorcycle taxi driver shows a BTS Meal ordered by a customer at the McDonald\'s Green Garden fast food restaurant, West Jakarta, Wednesday (9/6/2021).

Power alliance

These four BTS fans bought the BTS Meal not because they were hungry, but because wanted to “consume” the BTS image on the packaging.

"So they consumed the photograph of BTS. Some fans need that image to show their love for BTS," said Shuri Marisaih Gietty Tambunan, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia cultural studies school.

Gietty views the phenomenon of people fighting over the BTS Meal as an industrial one. In this case, it is an alliance of two global industrial forces. One is McDonald\'s, representing the power of the Western lifestyle industry that has maintained its hegemony for decades through American foods. The other is the K-pop industry, which has emerged in the last two decades as a new hegemonic force in the lifestyle sector through Korean pop and its derivatives.

Some fans need that image to show their love for BTS.

Both forces build their industry by offering products and images designed for global acceptance.

"This is interesting, because I see representatives of the Eastern pop industry helping the West to maintain its hegemony in the lifestyle industry," said Gietty.

Another force that is playing a part is digital media. According to Gietty, various studies show that boybands have succeeded in building intimacy with their global fans through regular content and messages that are current and relevant.

Gietty added that the power of fans was undeniable. She noted that BTS and K-pop fans in general were very active. They not only consumed BTS products and images, but also actively produced and reproduced related content on social media.

Amidst the public spotlight on the excitement over the BTS Meal, the local BTS ARMY cleverly produced another narrative that elicits public sympathy: donations for the online motorcycle taxi drivers serving BTS and K-pop fans.

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.