韓流風行催生中國市場商機

Korean stars have seen clothes and shoes they wear on soap operas flying off the shelves in China. Now, they want to cash in on the trend.

韓國明星發現他們在偶像劇中所穿的衣服和鞋子在中國十分暢銷，他們從中嗅到了商機。

YG Entertainment Inc.—the Seoul-listed artist-management powerhouse whose clients include rapper Psy, boy band Big Bang and girl group 2NE1—this week launched a Fashion brand called Nonagon that targets young consumers around the world interested in street dance and pop culture.

首爾上市的韓國娛樂公司——YG Entertainment Inc.推出了一個名爲Nonagon的時尚品牌，該品牌針對全球喜歡街舞和流行文化的年輕消費者。YG Entertainment旗下藝人有鳥叔樸載相(Psy)、男子偶像組合Big Bang、以及少女組合2NE1。

On Oct. 2, it will launch a cosmetics brand that uses bold colors and is also targeted at young consumers. The company is especially looking to market its products in China, where Korean TV shows are hugely popular among young and well-to-do, fashion-obsessed Chinese consumers.

今年10月2日，YG Entertainment將推出一個面向年輕人的、用色大膽的彩妝品牌。該公司十分看重在中國展開營銷，在中國那些家境良好、崇尚時尚的年輕人中，韓劇十分流行。

“We’ve always contemplated the idea of delving into more scalable, derivative consumer-product businesses, leveraging our existing talent pool,” said Yang Min-suk, CEO of YG Entertainment. “Fashion and cosmetics are naturally the optimal options.”

YG Entertainment的首席執行長Yang Min-suk表示，他們一直在考慮發展可擴展的衍生消費品業務，發揮現有人才的力量。他說，時尚和彩妝自然是首選。

L Capital Asia, the private-equity arm of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, is helping YG to venture into the fashion arena. It said in August it is investing up to $80 million for a 11.5% stake in YG. The move gives the consumer-goods companies L Capital invests in easy access to Korean stars, who are major trend-setters in Asia.

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton旗下的私募股權公司L Capital Asia正在幫助YG Entertainment進軍時尚圈。L Capital Asia今年8月表示，將投資至多8,000萬美元收購YG Entertainment 11.5%的股份。L Capital由此得以輕鬆地和引領亞洲潮流的韓國明星搭上關係。

“The Korea wave is going really deep in China,” said Ravi Thakran, a managing partner at L Capital Asia. “One of the best ways for companies to get into China is through Korean celebrity endorsements.”

L Capital Asia執行合夥人Ravi Thakran說，韓流正深入中國社會，企業打入中國市場的一個最佳方式便是請韓國明星做代言。

The likes of Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton have used product placements on Korean TV dramas to broaden their appeal to young Chinese consumers.

香奈兒(Chanel)、古馳(Gucci)、路易威登(Louis Vuitton)等品牌都曾將產品植入韓國電視劇，以提升其對於中國年輕消費者的吸引力。

“YG’s key focus is in China,” said Mr. Thakran. “Half of its growth should come from Greater China.”

Thakran說，YG的關鍵重心是中國市場，其業績增長中有一半應來自大中華區。

Globally, celebrities often sign contracts with perfume houses to associate their name with a signature scent as a form of self-promotion. As Korean pop-stars become a world-wide phenomenon, they are also exploring new ways to monetize their power.

放眼全球，名人常常會與香水品牌簽約，將其名字與一款標誌性香型掛鉤，作爲一種自推廣的形式。隨着韓國流行明星紅遍世界，他們也在探索新的方式運用其影響力創造財富。

“The influencers will add a hip and cool impact, and they will get royalties from the products as compared to simple endorsement,” added Mr. Thakran.

Thakran補充說，名人將增添一份新潮炫酷的影響力，而且相比於單次代言所得，他們將能從產品中獲得特許權使用費。