SM Entertainment draws ire in MY as K-pop group Aespa collabs with McDonald's

Malaysian netizens are boycotting South Korean multinational entertainment agency SM Entertainment following the announcement of a brand collaboration between K-pop girl group Aespa and McDonald's Japan. 

The collaboration was first announced on X on 1 July by the fast-food brand and included a 30-second advertisement featuring the girl group. In the ad, members of Aespa are seen eating at McDonald's and drinking a frappe with the label 'McCafe x Aespa'.

The drink follows the group from the fast-food restaurant, to rehearsals, and backstage before a concert begins. The members are later seen in a car, dancing, resting, taking selfies and drinking the frappe. The ad ends with all members of the group sat around a table in McCafe, enjoying their 'McCafe x Aespa' frappes together. 

Don't miss: Nabati taps K-pop groups Aespa and RIIZE as brand flavour ambassadors

According to media intelligence firm DATAXET NAMA, an "overwhelming majority of tweets strongly oppose the collaboration" in Malaysia with 91.4% of netizens on X calling for a boycott due to perceived ethical and political concerns. 

A noticeable 7.03% portion of tweets expressed broad dissatisfaction with the collaboration without specifying particular reasons while a small percentage of tweets (1.56%), including those using humour or sarcasm, specifically criticise the choice of partnership between Aespa and McDonald's Japan. 

On Facebook, 55% of comments from netizens criticised SM Entertainment for its management decisions and controversial brand collaborations. Interestingly, 33.75% reflected the view that K-pp should be apolitical and focus on entertainment. 

An additional 18.75% of comments discussed whether boycotts are effective while 15% have expressed unconditional support for Aespa. Within fans, 11.25% of comments highlight perceived hypocrisy and double standards while 8.75% of comments discussed whether K-pop idols should be aware of global political issues and should be held responsible for their actions. 

Aespa's word cloud highlighted words and phrases such as '#sm_boycott_genocide', 'genocide', 'Palestine' and 'financing'. The hashtag '#sm_boycott_genocide', according to DATAXET NAMA, "indicates a strong call for boycotting SM Entertainment due to perceived involvement in supporting genocide."

"This hashtag has been a central element in the Twitter storm, driving much of the conversation and mobilizing fans globally," it added.

A+M has reached out to SM Entertainment and Aespa regarding the issue.

Boycotts are still going strong in Malaysia, particularly for brands such as McDonald's, Starbucks and KFC amongst others, impacting brand sentiments, businesses and content creators in the country. 

Convenience store FamilyMart saw its brand sentiments plummet to 72.6% negative and 0.2% positive amidst calls on social media for a boycott of the store due to links between its Japanese parent company Itochu Corporation with Israel-linked defence company Elbit Systems.

Meanwhile, 108 KFC outlets were reportedly shuttered amidst the ongoing pro-Palestine boycott. Kelantan was the hardest hit, with nearly 80% or up to 21 branches temporarily shut. This was reportedly followed by 15 outlets in Johor, 11 branches in Selangor, 11 in Kedah, and 10 in Shah-Alam. 

In tandem, influencers in Malaysia have faced increased scrutiny in recent months, creating an issue where influencers feel less free to post how they really feel and express who they really are online.

According to celebrity influencer and entrepreneur Vivy Yusof, there has been a hesitancy from influencers and content creators in working with international brand projects considering that Malaysia is so vocal and passionate about standing up for Palestinians. 

"Any KOL that is seen to be supporting any brand lined to the genocide even by an inch, will be dragged through the mud online," said Vivy in a conversation with A+M at the time. 

Vivy added that the situation is also difficult for KOLs as working with brands is their source of income.

“The culture here is very polite. When the industry is so small, you don’t want to step on anyone’s toes within the industry. We are all friends, which makes it that much harder to boycott certain brands so explicitly,” she added.

Explore transformative trends to empower your brand for sustainable growth. Join 500+ marketing minds at Digital Marketing Asia 2024 Singapore on 1-2 October and uncover transformative trends to empower your brand, network with industry leaders and collaborate across industries, and discover real-life marketing wins and powerful ideas.

Related articles: 
KFC Malaysia keeps vow of silence despite being off the boycott list. Is it the right PR move? 
#BlockOut24 spreads to MY, targets Michelle Yeoh, Neelofa, Ruhainies and more 
#BlockOut24 for dummies: 101 on the movement forcing influencers to take a stand