Japan’s Business Media Says V Sells, but What Makes the BTS Star So Valuable to Brands?
BTS member V is usually covered through music, fashion and celebrity news. This time, however, a major Japanese business magazine is examining him as an economic force.
The August 15-22 issue of Japanese weekly business magazine Toyo Keizai placed HYBE’s global ambitions at the center of its main feature. The edition examines the company’s label system, artist-development strategy, international expansion and Weverse, the platform that connects fans with artists, merchandise and paid content.
Within that wider analysis, Toyo Keizai devoted attention to V under a headline that can be translated as “The Oshikatsu Business: BTS V Sells.”
The wording is blunt, but it captures why companies across unrelated industries continue selecting Kim Taehyung as an ambassador. His commercial value does not come only from recognition. It comes from his ability to convert a campaign into a participatory event that fans photograph, share, visit and, in many cases, purchase from.
What Oshikatsu Means and Why V Fits the Model
“Oshikatsu” is a Japanese term describing the activities through which fans actively support their favorite celebrity, character or public figure. It can include purchasing albums and products, visiting pop-up stores, collecting campaign materials, attending events and sharing promotional content online.
The important word is “actively.” A conventional celebrity advertisement asks consumers to notice a product. Oshikatsu encourages fans to do something with it.
V is particularly suited to that economy because his audience follows more than his music. His fashion choices, photographs, artwork, travel appearances and everyday styling regularly become independent subjects of discussion. A brand collaboration can therefore enter several communities at once, including K-pop, fashion, beauty, luxury and lifestyle audiences.
His personal Instagram account surpassed 75 million followers in July 2026, making him the first South Korean male celebrity reported to reach the milestone. However, follower count alone does not explain his appeal. Brands are purchasing access to an audience that is accustomed to documenting and circulating every new appearance.
That behavior transforms a single campaign image into countless fan posts, translations, product guides and shopping links without the brand directly producing each piece of content.
The Yunth Partnership Offers a Clear Japanese Example
Toyo Keizai highlighted Japanese skincare brand Yunth as an example of V’s influence moving from online attention into a company’s broader retail ambitions.
Yunth is operated by Ai Robotics, a company that initially built much of its business through direct-to-consumer and online sales. As the company expanded into physical retail and pursued overseas growth, it selected V as a brand ambassador in October 2025.
According to figures cited in coverage of the partnership, Yunth’s Instagram following increased approximately 2.5 times within a month of V’s appointment. Products featured in the campaign also experienced strong demand, while a promotional pop-up attracted reservations and extended lines.
The company’s financial performance cannot responsibly be attributed to one ambassador alone. Ai Robotics was already growing through new products, increased retail distribution, subscriptions and its other beauty brands.
Its financial disclosures nevertheless identify the use of a prominent artist ambassador as one factor strengthening Yunth’s brand visibility. The company reported that Yunth’s sales grew approximately 40 percent during the fiscal year ending in March 2026, alongside an increase in recurring customers.
The significance of V’s role is therefore not that he single-handedly created Yunth’s growth. It is that he helped a Japanese digital-first beauty company gain immediate international recognition while it was attempting to move into stores and overseas markets.
Champion Is Buying Cultural Reach, Not Just a Famous Face
V’s new partnership with Champion demonstrates the same strategy on a global scale.
Champion’s owner, Authentic Brands Group, officially announced V as a global partner and a leading face of its Fall/Winter 2026 “True Champion” campaign on August 10. The campaign also features figures from sports, music and entertainment, including Romeo Beckham, SOFI TUKKER, NBA player Kyle Kuzma and Mexican singer Danna Paola.
Stefani Fleurant, Authentic’s executive vice president of marketing, sport and lifestyle, pointed specifically to V’s “creative vision, global influence and genuine connection with his audience” when explaining the partnership.
That description is revealing. Champion is not presenting V as an athlete or relying only on BTS’s name. It is positioning him as a cultural connector who can bring a century-old American sportswear brand into contemporary conversations about music and personal style.
In the campaign, V wears relaxed sportswear including hoodies, knitwear and sweatpants while interacting with records, headphones and a trumpet. The images align Champion with his existing artistic persona rather than forcing him into a traditional athletic narrative.
Claims that his appointment crashed a retailer’s website or caused every item he wore to sell out worldwide have circulated through Korean and fan media. However, those specific claims have not been confirmed in the official announcement from Champion or Authentic Brands Group. The verified story is already substantial: Champion selected V to lead a worldwide brand campaign because it believes his relationship with audiences can help redefine its cultural position.
One Image That Works Across Multiple Markets
V’s endorsement portfolio spans luxury fashion, jewelry, beauty, beverages, hospitality, outdoor clothing and sportswear.
He has represented Celine and Cartier at the luxury end of the market while working with more accessible consumer names such as Compose Coffee, Coca-Cola and Korean outdoor labels. In July 2026, HiteJinro appointed him as Jinro’s global ambassador as the soju brand continued expanding outside Korea.
These campaigns sell products at dramatically different prices. A Cartier piece may be inaccessible to most fans, while a coffee, skincare product or sweatshirt offers a much easier form of participation.
That range is commercially useful. V’s image is polished enough for luxury houses but familiar enough for mass-market products. A brand does not necessarily need consumers to believe they can live like him. It needs them to feel that purchasing one featured item creates a small connection with his taste and identity.
The result is a ladder of participation. Fans can engage with a free campaign image, visit a branded event, purchase an affordable drink or beauty product, or aspire to a luxury item. Each level generates visibility for the celebrity and the company.
Why Brands Put V at the Center of the Advertisement
Toyo Keizai observed that advertisements featuring V often place his appearance ahead of detailed product information. That approach may seem unusual for a business trying to sell a specific item, but it reflects the way attention functions in celebrity marketing.
The first task is to stop the audience from scrolling. V performs that function immediately. Product details, availability and purchasing decisions come afterward.
His visual identity is also unusually adaptable. He can appear classic and formal for jewelry, minimalist for skincare, relaxed for athleticwear or playful for food and beverage campaigns without losing recognizability.
Brands are consequently not borrowing only his face. They are borrowing an established aesthetic narrative built around elegance, individuality and a slightly nostalgic artistic sensibility.
The V Effect Is Powerful, but It Must Be Measured Carefully
Celebrity campaigns often produce immediate indicators such as follower growth, search interest, queues and temporary sellouts. These numbers are valuable, but they do not always reveal whether customers will return once the initial excitement fades.
Long-term commercial success still depends on product quality, price, availability and whether the brand retains consumers who first arrived because of the celebrity. A crowded pop-up proves demand for an event. It does not automatically prove years of customer loyalty.
That is why Yunth provides an important case to watch. The company is using V’s visibility during a structural transition from online sales toward wider retail and international distribution. The real measure of the partnership will be whether those first-time buyers become lasting customers.
For Champion, the question is whether V can help the heritage label build renewed cultural relevance rather than merely generating a short burst of social-media attention.
V Is Becoming More Than an Ambassador
The phrase “V sells” may sound like a simple celebration of celebrity power. The reality is more complex.
V sits at the center of an international network connecting a Korean entertainment company, a Japanese culture of organized fan support, global social-media communities and brands seeking growth across borders.
His campaigns work because fans are not passive viewers. They translate announcements, identify clothing, organize visits, share product information and turn advertisements into community experiences. Companies receive not only exposure but an enormous unpaid distribution network built around fan participation.
That is the real “V effect.” A campaign featuring V does not remain a campaign for long. It becomes content, conversation and collective activity, giving brands something traditional advertising struggles to create: an audience that wants to spread the message itself.