Girl group 2NE1 will be representing their fellow K-pop idol stars, standing before the advertising professionals of the world as public speakers.

2NE1 along with the nation's top advertising agency Cheil Worldwide will be attending the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in Cannes, France this June. This year, the festival has a 'Korean Wave Through the Digital Wave' theme, and the girls will be serving as joint public speakers at one of the seminars to further spread K-Pop awareness.

The Korea National Tourism Organization recently conducted a poll, asking French Hallyu fans which K-pop group was their favorite, and 2NE1 who is receiving major interest overseas for their one-of-a-kind fashion style and unique music came in at #1, seizing 64.8% of the votes. The girls have been selected as seminar speakers for this advertising festival, as they have effectively marketed K-pop through digital marketing with their agency, YG Entertainment.

Though the girls have mainly focused on promotions within Korea, international fans have voted them as Mtv Iggy's 'BEST NEW BAND', and their official YouTube channel has received a total number of 280,000,000 views. Through their effective digital marketing, 2NE1 is receiving an explosive amount of love and support from their fans overseas.

Each of the members are also actively communicating with their fans via their respective Facebook, me2day, and Twitter pages, and information regarding their stage ensembles and accessories are shared with their fans via SNS in real time.

2NE1's agency YG Entertainment is leading the way with the digital marketing trend, establishing joint promotions with Korean portal site Naver for Big Bang's recent comeback, as well as launching a global cover dance contest through YouTube.

The 2NE1 members who will be attending this seminar remarked, "This is the first time we are standing on stage in front of a large group of people, not as artists but as public speakers. As we are attending this event on behalf of all the other K-pop artists, we will make sure to clearly inform them of the appeals of K-pop and why K-pop is so relevant. Next time, we would like to perform as artists in Cannes."

The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival is notorious for it's rigid screening process when it comes to selecting it's seminar speakers, but the organizing committee has warmly welcomed K-Pop artists and are looking forward to the girls' attendance. Other seminar speakers scheduled to attend the event include Chairman of the London Olympics organizing committee Sebastian Coe, WPP Chairman Martin Sorrell, Nike Vice-Chairman Trevor Edwards, Sex and the City producer Michael Patrick King, and more.

The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival will be holding it's 59th event festival this year and was established in 1953. Not only do they award excellent advertisement, they also share the marketing know-hows of global corporations. The seminars are held every year, and this year, 50 seminars will be held over the course of 7 days.