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There’s a strange thing about light — the brighter it shines, the longer the shadow it casts. BTS’s brand power is that kind of light. Every mention, tag, or photo tied to their name can turn into millions in exposure. At Fashion Week, their presence alone generated up to $30 million in media value per post—more than most brands make in an entire campaign. Their name has become an economy of its own.

So it’s no surprise that artists, influencers, and even brands orbit around that gravity — hoping to borrow a little of its glow, or to spark chaos in the process.

10 THEY HAVE EVOLVED AS PEOPLE AND AS ARTISTS

We can’t and shouldn’t expect the same music from them, the same mannerisms, the same way of dancing, the same way of marketing, maybe not even the same way of talking. They have grown older. They have experienced life outside of the bounds of their melodies. 

It is natural for them to have changed. Maybe they have stopped believing in some things they so strongly believed in before. Maybe they now like the things they didn’t like. Maybe they are more open or maybe they are more cautious. 

And maybe there are things that haven’t changed. 

One thing is for sure, whatever they have become will affect their music and artistry. And that’s okay. We have changed to. The key is in rediscovering whatever music they will make, appreciating the new facets of their personalities they will allow us to see. 

09 TICKET PRICES, MERCH PRICES WILL GO UP 

Jhope tickets were going for almost $800. A reasonable price in this day and age and yet many are complaining, accusing Big hit and J-hope of being greedy. Inflation, people. We’ve been through a pandemic, several wars, changes in global economic policies. Things are much more expensive. It’s natural for ticket prices to go up. 

The inflation report we see is manipulated to appear lower. Real inflation is way higher and you can just look at the prices of gas, grocery and rent to realize that. 

People have to be paid, J-hope has to earn. And he has to earn enough commensurate to his talent. If people who can barely sing are getting paid millions, he certainly deserve more. BigHit. Staff, back up dancers, and promoters will have to earn to. Concert tickets will be more expensive. Expect that. 

It’s natural to be disappointed and this leads me to the next point. 

08 LET’S ORGANIZE OUR CONCERNS

Instead of continuously blasting BigHit or the artist on social media, we can organize ourselves and write letters to BigHit directly or address the issue on WeVerse. We know that they hear us. Being loud on social media only benefits the haters. 

We need to make sure the celebration is louder than the complaints but we also need to make sure people are heard. Some just save everything they could and still fall short. It will hurt. Let’s be compassionate too. 

07 THEY MAY NEED TIME

Most if not all soldiers who have been in the military said they have been conditioned to think a certain, be a small but integral part of something way bigger than they can understand. They are taught to follow and never question order. They have schedules they must follow. They learn skills and some of them they hope to never use but master nonetheless. 

J-hope himself said he is still in the process of moving on. Things may feel different when we see them for the first time. I hope we don’t rush them to be as active as they used to be. We should definitely let them know we miss them but let them take their time to find their bearing. 

Those of us who have never been in the military will never understand fully

06 LET’S NOT EXPECT A SPECIFIC CREATIVE STRUCTURE 

We are used to having trilogies, accompanying music videos tied to other pieces of literature. We enjoy decoding clues, piecing together stories and interpreting the picture to form a bigger narrative. They may choose to go the same route, they may do it differently entirely. We should take these changes to mean they have lost their depth. We should take it to mean this is a new chapter. 

OR if they choose to do it the same way, it isn’t because they haven’t evolved. If there is anything we should remember it’s to trust them. They were never the kind of artists who do things for superficial or juvenile goals. Whether it’s to rediscover scars or connect us all by finding the most accessible common ground, they always do things for a good reason. Part of the fun is discovering that reason. 

05 NOW MORE THAN EVER, WE NEED TO HIGHLIGHT THEIR SUBSTANCE 

They aren’t boys anymore. They haven’t been for a while. But now, we need to be more conscious of the fact that they will most likely want to pursue solo projects again after their group activities. Based on what we saw in their solo era, they are pursuing genres and projects outside their comfort zone. 

Many insist on stereotyping them to kpop. If possible let’s help them highlight their substance, treat them like the real artists that they are. They have transcended Kpop a long time ago. We need to help them highlight their substance and we can do so by talking about the meaning of their songs, helping creators who are actually providing analysis with real depth. 

04 MANY WILL TRY TO USE THEM, THE ONLY WAY TO PROTECT THEM IS TO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO OTHERS 

It’s already starting. Groups are starting to plan their comebacks around the time they are coming back. We should have expected that. It’s an age-old marketing trick. Ride the wave others create and no other artist can create a bigger wave than BTS. 

But reacting to these other artists will only hype them up. The best way to make sure that BTS benefits from BTS is by paying attention only to BTS. Mute. Block. Report. Then go back to BTS and post three times more positive things about BTS or like and support other creators who actually bother to create content that help introduce and explain the beauty of BTS’ art. 

Attention is ARMYs currency. We should only trade it for BTS. 

03 MANY WILL HATE THE ATTENTION THEY WILL GET 

So let’s double down. Success is the best revenge. BTS’s influence doesn’t just move music charts — it moves markets. At this year’s Fashion Week, posts associated with BTS members generated up to $30 million in Earned Media Value (EMV) each. That means a single appearance, a tagged photo, or even a brand mention tied to their name can produce the equivalent of a global advertising campaign.

That level of visibility comes with both power and danger. Anyone who attaches themselves to BTS — whether through collaboration, comparison, or controversy — benefits from that reach. Other fandoms and influencers have learned to exploit it: dropping BTS’s name for clout, baiting ARMY into arguments, or releasing projects timed around BTS’s schedule. The goal isn’t always admiration — sometimes it’s provocation.

Because BTS commands the largest, most active digital community in music, even negative attention involving them generates massive visibility. Fighting with ARMY, criticizing BTS, or “coincidentally” releasing near their comeback window can spike engagement for others who crave the association.

And that’s why restraint becomes a form of power. The smartest move for ARMY isn’t to respond — it’s to deny oxygen. Every time we disengage from bait, we protect BTS’s brand value from being used as free publicity. Every time we focus back on the music, the art, and the joy, we remind the industry who the real draw is.

BTS built a brand so strong that even its shadow creates influence. Others may try to bask in it — but only ARMY decides who gets to stay there.

02 THEY ARE MORE POPULAR NOW THAN THEY WERE BEFORE THEY ENLISTED 

Popularity is a double edged sword. This will come with either well meaning or malicious attention. I hope we can be patient towards new fans who don’t know their history. Guide them to focus on the right things instead of roping them into fanwars or toxicity. 

There will also be the usual annoying and superficial journalists who do nothing but drag them on issues they are not involved with or invalidate their success. But there are also journalists who are truly appreciative. 

More importantly, there will be more competition when it comes to concert and merch. 

01 LET US ENJOY REDISCOVERING THEM 

 Let’s honor the past, theirs and ours but this is a new chapter. Let’s appreciate how they will surprise us and enjoy getting surprised. It’s like discovering a new artist, new sound, new voice, new melodies. Let’s enjoy the process and the outcomes. 

In the same breath, let’s allow them to rediscover us. Many of them will be surprised to see us still here. Some of them may have forgotten some inside jokes. Some of them may have forgotten that we, like them, have grown older. 

It will be exciting, maybe there will also be moments when it’s disappointing but at the end of the day, let’s not forget that at the end of the day, music is the reason we are here and for as long as we have that, we will remain one big ARMY family.