It’s the real thing! Or is it? – BTS’s Coca-Cola controversy

This August, only 3 months after BTS’s much awaited comeback, Coca-Cola announced that BTS member V would become a new ambassador for the corporation. This was met with extensive backlash and criticism from fans. The way fans reacted to V’s ambassadorship can be seen as a consequence of several ongoing movements within the K-Pop community connected to social justice and image branding. 

Consistently breaking streaming records and receiving prestigious music awards, K-Pop boy band BTS is one of the biggest names in music, both within K-Pop and beyond. One of the seven members, Taehyung, also known by his stagename V, recently made the news for receiving widespread fan criticism after revealing his ambassadorship with Coca-Cola. The beverage company is one among many currently boycotted companies due to its alleged support for Israeli settlement in Gaza. Comments about V’s ambassadorship from fans on social media including TikTok express disappointment and accuse V of indirectly supporting the brand’s involvement in Gaza, due to Coca-Cola’s presence on the BDS boycott list. BDS is a widely influential pro-Palestine movement which urges actors to boycott due to their ties with Israel. Fan comments critique V choosing to partner with Coca-cola over brands without ties to Israel, expressing that they cannot or will not defend him, stating their intention to distance themselves from V and BTS due to the partnership. BTS’s V is far from the only K-Pop idol who has received criticism connected to the Israel-Palestine question, particularly in relation to the BDS boycott list. Recent examples include fan responses to BTS’s collaboration with McDonalds as well as instances of several idols being criticised for showing themselves with Starbucks products (both companies are on the BDS boycott list). In these instances the critique echoes the responses to V’s ambassadorship with Coca-Cola, expressing concerns that working with boycotted companies is wrong and supports Israel’s involvement in Gaza, with some fans distancing themselves from the artists. In these examples, fan criticism was met with silence from both the idols and their managing companies. 

More than just a boy band – BTS as advocates, and inconsistent image branding

V’s ambassadorship with Coca-Cola sparking such criticism could also be explained by BTS’s history with advocacy and their company´s branding of them as advocates. BTS has been involved in advocacy work including a collaboration with UNICEF on a campaign supporting every child’s right to grow up in an environment free from neglect, abuse, and poor mental health. BTS’s contribution to UNICEF amounted to 6.6 million USD in 2024. In 2020, BTS and their managing company Big Hit donated 1 million USD to Black Lives Matter, and within 24 hours BTS’s fans had matched their donation, raising an additional 1 million USD from almost 40 000 donors. Following the donation, BTS posted a tweet voicing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. BTS has also done several public appearances speaking out on questions related to social justice. In 2022, BTS appeared at the White House to speak out about anti-asian hate and to promote inclusivity during a surge in hate crimes. In 2021, BTS performed their song Permission to dance at the UN’s second annual Sustainable Development Goals conference, accompanied by  a speech urging world leaders to think of the youth and work towards a sustainable future. 

Directed by their company, BTS actively taking a stance on select issues of social justice has established their image as socially conscious, attracting fans of a certain demographic who feel admiration for their advocacy work. The substantial donation to Black Lives Matter from BTS fans shows the impact of the band’s actions on their fanbase. In the case of V’s ambassadorship with Coca-Cola, BTS fans have instead turned against the group to criticize a collaboration that they felt is unethical. For BTS’s management company to choose collaborations that build the band’s image as advocates, and later choose collaborations with a brand facing global criticism, leads to an inconsistency in branding. This can be seen as an example of BTS’s entertainment company sacrificing the band’s image for a collaboration with a global corporation sure to provide generous financial compensation for the partnership. This action may have created a crack in the band’s manicured image and alienated fans. 

A crack in the facade – The idol image and company control

Complaints regarding V’s ambassadorship with Coca-Cola include disappointed comments and posts about V’s assumed true personality, opinions or intentions. Within the K-Pop space the idol’s presence is highly curated and controlled by their managing company, who keep the artists from expressing controversial personal or political opinions through restricted social media use, supervised and controlled interactions with fans, and social media training. In relation to this constructed facade, K-Pop fans often develop (encouraged by the entertainment companies) parasocial relationships with K-Pop idols. Fans may believe that they know who an idol is on an intimate level, thinking about them as a friend despite never meeting in real life. Spurred by recent controversies, fans have started to make social media posts that question, express caution and adopt a critical mindset around the fabricated images that these relationships are created upon. Posts also speculate about the controversial, morally dubious or toxic opinions that may exist beyond the facades, reminding others not to be deceived by curated images. These types of posts have increased since news of NCT member Taeil was imprisoned for three years for rape, which came as a stark contrast to an image constructed partly through the use of aegyo (acting or posing in a childlike cutely way), with fans highlighting his shyness, cuteness and charming personality in online interactions. Taeil’s conviction shook the K-Pop community and proved that K-Pop idols are not always as they seem. This can help explain the anxiety from V’s fans following the Coca-Cola ambassadorship over whether he is truly the good person with strong values that he poses as. 

Authenticity or control – The future of K-Pop image branding in the light of social justice

Fan criticism of V’s ambassadorship with Coca-Cola has shown the extent that BTS fans value social justice from the artists, especially connected to the Israel-Palestine conflict. BTS fans, nicknamed ARMY, have gone so far as to start the initiative ARMY4Palestine, which sent a letter to BTS’s company heads stating their support for Palestine and created a fundraiser for the cause. V’s ambassadorship for Coca-Cola may have been particularly hurtful due to a 2023 clip showing a man picking up photos of V from the rubble of a house in Gaza, with the owner of those photos possibly found dead in the same rubble. BTS fans’ criticism has also shown the negative consequences of heavy image branding pushed by the K-Pop entertainment industry when inauthentically and inconsistently applied. This incident is unlikely to create any real changes in the heavily cemented way K-Pop companies control and manage their idol’s images, nor will it lead to any apologies. But, it might be a wake up call as to how the effects of social justice in K-Pop image branding goes both ways.