G.NA recently returned with her fourth mini-album, and the lead single “Oops” has been relatively lackluster compared to the musical gem that was “Black and White.” What’s more interesting than the new single is her recently released choreography practice video featuring her manager who, despite being far less photogenic than G.NA, definitely isn’t shy of the camera.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen managers do their thing in a dance practice video, and it’s definitely not the first time we’ve seen a non-standard dance practice video. See the peculiar gimmicks applied to dance practice videos of A-JAX, Son Dam-bi, and most recently, Teen Top. However, this certainly is the first time where a non-star steals attention away from the actual star of the show.
The dance practice video, like LOEN Channel’s Let’s Dance feature, has become just another plug in an idol’s promotional cycle. Ever since the popularity of Sistar19‘s dance practice video for “Ma Boy,” almost every idol has been releasing “choreography versions” of their latest single because, like promoting on music shows, the dance practice video has become standard practice within the K-pop promotional cycle.
The marketing strategy behind all this is to give the songs as much exposure as possible. The more times the song is played and heard, the more likely it’s addictive hooks and jaw-dropping dance moves will become embedded in the consumer’s subconscious, causing a sense of recognition and familiarity which eventually leads one to believe that a song or idol is something that is or should be liked. Of course, inspiring a bunch of dance covers doesn’t hurt either.
This latest gimmick shows that whether or not the idol is in the forefront, if the video does enough to gain attention, it has succeeded on a marketing level. Have our readers been captivated by G.NA’s choreography video for “Oops?” Feel free to share some of your favorite dance practice videos below!
(Youtube, Images via Cube Entertainment, SM Entertainment)
