[Edaily Oh Hee-na, Kim Una ] An artist preparing for a stadium concert with a capacity of 70,000 seats invited about 100 fans to the venue, where stage setup was in full swing. This was a way to reward his early fans—who had supported him since his days as an unknown artist, starting with small venues—with a special performance. This is the story of British electronic music artist “Fred Again.”
Cha Woo-jin, CEO of the Entertainment Culture Research Institute, highlighted this case at the “2026 Content Universe Korea” event held at the Goyang Flower Exhibition Hall in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, emphasizing, “Knowing who your fans are and securing a connection to maintain that relationship is the starting point of a fandom.” Fred Again produced a music video using footage shot by fans at the venue. This marked the participation of fans—typically content consumers—as active creators.
Lim Jin-won, Director at Fan Communications, explained, “A superfan isn’t defined by the intensity of their affection, but by the number of actions they take out of that affection.” He added, “A single superfan spends five times as much as an average fan.”

Experts emphasized the need to move beyond simply selling products based on fans’ purchasing power and instead create opportunities to foster ongoing participation and relationships. Park Seon-min, CEO of Olim, stated, “The moment you view fans as tools, they will leave,” adding, “Designing relationships so that fans feel respected is the foundation of a sustainable fandom business.”
Strategies for localizing content to target the Greater China market—with a population exceeding 1.4 billion—were also presented. China is one of the world’s major content markets, boasting a vast consumer base. According to China’s iMedia Research, the market size for content IP merchandise—including comics, animation, games, and idol-related goods—reached 168.9 billion yuan (approximately 33.79 trillion won) in 2024. It is projected to exceed 300 billion yuan by 2029. “Labubu,” a character that originated in China and gained global popularity, is a prime example of the global expansion potential of Chinese IP.

However, strict content censorship and distribution regulations are cited as significant barriers to market entry. Taiwanese cartoonist Lin Zhengde emphasized, “The primary customer in the Greater China market is not the general consumer but the Chinese government,” adding, “To enter the Chinese market, an understanding of the region’s cultural characteristics and regulations is essential.”
Lee Byung-kyu, CEO of Rajen Entertainment and former executive producer of “Pororo” and “Tayo,” proposed a strategy for entering the market through social media platforms—such as short-form video—and encouraging fans to create derivative works. “China is accustomed to a culture of collaborative creation where fans freely produce videos using characters,” Lee emphasized, adding, “It is important to provide creative resources so that fans can participate.” He went on to stress, “From a long-term perspective, it is also necessary to cultivate young talent equipped with an understanding of the language and local markets, as well as expertise in content.”