NCT lose millions of social media followers due to Starbucks collaboration & international fans send protest trucks
AKP STAFF
Posted by Germaine-Jay Saturday, June 1, 2024
NCT have lost millions of social media followers in the midst of their Starbucks collaboration.
This past May, Starbucks and SM Entertainment announced NCT would be collaborating on an exclusive line of merchandise for the global coffee brand. International fans and netizens reacted negatively to the collaboration as a whole due to the current boycott of Starbucks due to the coffee company's alleged support of Israeli companies and the Israeli military in the midst of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This issue then led to a boycott of the collaboration between NCT and Starbucks as well.
During the boycott, some fans have decided to avoid listening to NCT's music and unfollowing the artists on social media. According to social media trackers, NCT's Instagram account has lost 674,370 followers over the last month with the majority of losses on May 29 when Taeyongallegedly spoke out against the collaboration. NCT 127 have lost 629,760, NCT Dream 633,210, and WayV 455,340 over the same 30-day period, and each of the NCT members individual accounts have lost followers as well with a total loss of 8 million followers as a group.
International fans of NCT have also sent protest trucks to Starbucks with billboards stating, "We cannot support any collaboration of any artists, including NCT, with companies that are involved in raising funds for the Palestinian massacre. We cannot stand by. We hope for a cancellation of the collaboration with the companies in the boycott movement."
It's pretty clear by now that none of the NCT members took no part in making decisions for the collaboration with Starbucks.
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We already got like 3 of the members who voiced their disagreement with this collab on their Instagram stories and a post from Winwin that can either mean what we think it means or not.
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Don't forget, these idols are all under contracts. Mostly, they don't get a say on what they want to promote or who they want to collab with. It's mostly up to the company and it's crystal clear in this situation now that SM deleted Taeyong and Renjun's IG stories moments after they were posted.
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It gets even more suspicious because none of the members are using Starbucks themselves. When they have a collab with certain brands, they usually have pictures of them with the members physically holding the item they're advertising or basically just their pictures. But we got none from the Starbucks collab besides overpriced shit and animal figurines that vaguely resemble them. Because if you look at any other brand that NCT collaborated with or endorsed, you can see the members themselves with the product.
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You may say that their IG stories were the bare minimum, but it was EVERYTHING in the position they were in. They were basically going against SM, so Renjun risked everything especially when he's already on hiatus.
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Funny how the members who tried to speak out were the inactive ones. Taeyong in the military, Renjun on hiatus bcs of health issues, and Winwin with his activities in China.
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I do hope the other members would be brave and try to speak out as well.
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I mean, was it really "NCT collab with Starbucks" or "SM using NCT's name to collab with Starbucks"?
.
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6 more replies
mother41 ptsSaturday, June 1, 2024 3
Saturday, June 1, 2024
I’m not an NCT fan but this is ridiculous. There are thousands of brands that have ties or support Israel like CK, Tommy Hilfiger, Chanel, LV, Celine, Bvlgari and I don’t hear anything about it in the Kpop community.
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It's pretty clear by now that none of the NCT members took no part in making decisions for the collaboration with Starbucks.
.
We already got like 3 of the members who voiced their disagreement with this collab on their Instagram stories and a post from Winwin that can either mean what we think it means or not.
.
Don't forget, these idols are all under contracts. Mostly, they don't get a say on what they want to promote or who they want to collab with. It's mostly up to the company and it's crystal clear in this situation now that SM deleted Taeyong and Renjun's IG stories moments after they were posted.
.
It gets even more suspicious because none of the members are using Starbucks themselves. When they have a collab with certain brands, they usually have pictures of them with the members physically holding the item they're advertising or basically just their pictures. But we got none from the Starbucks collab besides overpriced shit and animal figurines that vaguely resemble them. Because if you look at any other brand that NCT collaborated with or endorsed, you can see the members themselves with the product.
.
You may say that their IG stories were the bare minimum, but it was EVERYTHING in the position they were in. They were basically going against SM, so Renjun risked everything especially when he's already on hiatus.
.
Funny how the members who tried to speak out were the inactive ones. Taeyong in the military, Renjun on hiatus bcs of health issues, and Winwin with his activities in China.
.
I do hope the other members would be brave and try to speak out as well.
.
I mean, was it really "NCT collab with Starbucks" or "SM using NCT's name to collab with Starbucks"?
.
6 more replies