Outdated PR tricks of Vietnamese singers

Music

TL;DR

Friday, April 21, 2023 07:57 (GMT+7)
07:57 April 21, 2023

For many years, Vietnamese singers have been using love rumors to promote their music products despite controversy. This method is considered old and outdated.

On the evening of April 19, HIEUTHUHAI released the MV Khong The Say . This is the answer to the rapper's recent love rumors. Previously, because of the ambiguous posts on HIEUTHUHAI's personal page, the audience speculated that he broke up with his girlfriend.

The first post that started the discussion around HIEUTHUHAI was: “In the future, you will meet someone wonderful”. After that, a series of fanpages and news sites loudly reported that the rapper suspected of breaking up with his girlfriend. A few days later, he added: “I promise in my heart that I will not drink anymore” and gradually revealed information about the music product.

Using love stories to promote products is not a new method in the Vietnamese music market, but despite the debates, many singers still use this "trick". One singer even uses it many times like B Ray.

Abuse of love affairs for PR

On Valentine's Day, B Ray was spotted hanging out with 4 different girls in just one evening. One of the girls was Ngo Bao Ngoc - Top 10 Miss Universe Vietnam 2022. B Ray's dating photos with different girls at that time caused a stir on social networks.

Many viewers questioned why B Ray met so many girls in one day. When contacted by reporters, B Ray's representative refused to answer the reason. Just a few days later, B Ray answered all questions through the MV Little Secret . It turned out that it was all just a way for him and his team to promote a new product. At this time, the rapper denied creating a trick to attract attention. According to him, the photos of the date with the 4 girls were all in the MV.

This is not the first time B Ray has used love stories to promote his products. A year earlier, also on Valentine's Day, the male rapper suddenly shared a series of wedding photos but covered the bride's face on his personal page. After that, many artists such as Trung Quan, Chau Dang Khoa, and Lien Binh Phat also shared the invitation sent by the male rapper. From here, information about B Ray holding a wedding ceremony began to spread on social networks. At that time, B Ray's representative also chose not to respond clearly when contacted by reporters.

B Ray in MV Little Secret .

This method is similar to Van Mai Huong when she released the MV Cau Hon . She was criticized for posting a photo of her marriage certificate on social media, causing not only the audience but also her colleagues to mistakenly think she was married and send her congratulations. However, in fact, this was just a PR trick by her and her team.

Phuong Thanh once caused a heated controversy because she continuously appeared with Doan Chi Kien at events, sparking rumors that the two were dating. She even called Doan Chi Kien "my boyfriend" and posted many intimate photos with the actor 20 years her junior. At first, the public congratulated Phuong Thanh because they thought she was happy with the man 20 years her junior.

But after knowing that it was just the female singer's way of promoting her product and that Doan Chi Kien already had a wife and children, public opinion completely changed its attitude. They turned to criticize Phuong Thanh. Many viewers thought that Phuong Thanh's way of promoting was too much and took advantage of the trust and love of her fans.

Miu Le and Karik were rumored to be dating before the MV "Because my mother forced us to break up" was released. Nam Em, Yen Trang or Phan Ngoc Luan... also used their private feelings to attract the audience's attention to their products.

From that, it can be seen that the way of using love for PR is too popular, even very old, being used from year to year in Vpop. The common way of most artists is to reveal a few lines of hidden thoughts on social networks or post photos with strange boys or girls with sentimental, suggestive posts. However, when the media contacts them, they refuse to respond. Just a few days later, they release a music product.

The method is no longer effective.

A media expert once commented that singers can promote based on emotions and personal life, but also need to have a strategy, calculate carefully and responsibly, to avoid being emotional, losing control, and causing offense. Another expert said that some artists have ignored the important principle of media: telling the truth. PR is necessary but it is very wrong if the artist makes up a story that is not true.

Back to B Ray's case, because he had previously been spotted dating many people, recently, when the rapper publicly posted a photo with a new girl and said that she was his girlfriend, the audience no longer believed him. Instead of believing B Ray's words, they thought that the male rapper was about to release a new MV.

Because they have been “fooled” so many times, audiences are now starting to be “vigilant” about dating news of artists. Every time someone publicly announces their lover, many audiences assume that they are simply promoting a new project. This PR method therefore only creates initial discussion and is not very effective if the product is not of good quality.

HIEUTHUHAI's Khong The Say reached 694,000 views after about 20 hours of release. The achievement is quite good but not outstanding compared to the general market level. In particular, the product is causing controversy about HIEUTHUHAI's singing voice. From rapper to vocalist, he makes the audience confused about what he is singing. The audience commented that they could not hear the lyrics clearly when listening to the product of the rapper born in 1999.

Karik and Miu Le were rumored to be dating before releasing the MV in mid-2022.

Meanwhile, Phuong Thanh's "The Story of a Girl" only reached 175,000 views after 9 months, even though Doan Chi Kien participated in the acting and the MV was released right after their love story caused controversy.

Using love for PR is taboo in the Korean music market. Releasing a music product right after admitting to loving Lee Min Ho, Suzy hopes the media will only report on her MV with the members of miss A.

In the European, American or Chinese markets, this PR method is not uncommon. However, it is more common in movies. In particular, the international media and audiences do not appreciate this promotional tactic.

Harpers Bazaar magazine has described celebrity romance as a “best-selling product.” And as A-listers become increasingly obsessed with milking their relationships for profit, the public has become equally obsessed with exposing “scams.”

Vice , meanwhile, called it an outdated PR tactic. “The trend of creating fake relationships for PR purposes seems to have waned in the age of social media, which relies on transparency and honesty rather than deception and manipulation,” it wrote.

Thai Linh

Vietnamese stars dating Miss Universe HIEUTHUHAI B Ray Karik Miu Le