KBO 'In Just Two Years, Contract Value Skyrockets Eightfold' — A Massive Hit Hits → 'The Top Spot Was This...' More Surprises Expected Next Year as Fan Expectations Rise [22nd Anniversary Special Planning ④]

*This content was translated by AI.

| '19 Product Categories This Year': KBO Fan Merchandise Contract Value Soars Eightfold Compared to Two Years Ago

| 'Collaborative Merchandise Fans Want to See Again Next Year' Ranks First: Doosan Manggum, Second: Starbucks

| Even a Single Product Requires Individual Communication with All 10 Teams — KBOP's Intense Efforts

| 'Otherwise...' Considering Fans' Fatigue Levels: "More Product Categories Launching Next Year; Quality Over Quantity"

This season, another masterpiece graced the KBO League. These are various fan merchandise items directly planned and launched by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), which have earned widespread love from baseball fans.

Some products were so popular that fans couldn't get enough — truly remarkable demand. The reason is clear: these are exactly what baseball fans need, and they also boast excellent quality. How could fans not seek them out?

At the center of this success stands KBOP, KBO's marketing subsidiary, which precisely identifies fan needs and leverages its planning capabilities. Of course, each team also sells a wide variety of products independently. However, KBOP has unified the intellectual property (IP) rights of all 10 teams into one entity, recently generating unprecedented market value. This goes beyond the limitations of individual team marketing, representing an 'integrated marketing' approach covering the entire KBO League.

KBO's integrated marketing is no longer just about selling products. It significantly elevates the value of all 10 KBO League teams and the league as a whole. Baseball has deeply embedded itself in fans' lives beyond the stadium, functioning as a cultural industry strategy that enriches their daily routines.

According to KBOP, this year's major IP collaborative product categories totaled around 19 types. The sheer number of products is similar to last year's scale. However, when calculating total contract values with each brand, the difference is staggering. A KBOP official stated, "While specific contract terms are confidential and cannot be disclosed precisely, this year's contract value rose approximately two-fold compared to last year and about eight-fold compared to 2024, two years ago." Already, first-half sales exceeded approximately 30 billion won. Compared to last year's total sales of around 40 billion won, the entire market has clearly expanded.

Product categories were expanded dramatically. Items range from food products like Paldo Bibimmyeon (spicy mixed noodles), Pepero, Starbucks hot dogs, and popcorn across all 10 teams; to lifestyle goods from CJ Onstyle, cosmetics from Mediheal, Bodyfriend mini massagers, Bamkel cooling bags, LAP ribbon pins, Dunlop Korea golf balls, Korea Post stamps and stamp albums, and Daewon Media player cards. Mediheal, CaseTify tech accessories, Dongkook Pharmaceutical cooling patches, and Odense tumblers were also renewed for this year due to strong reception last year.

Children's products appealing to all generations are also highly popular. KBO strategically pursues collaborative projects for children, including Samchully children's bicycles featuring the identities of all 10 teams and Crocs Jibits (special accessories designed to be inserted into sandal holes to customize footwear). Expanding into intangible service areas is also noteworthy. Collaborations with KIA offering vehicle displays themed around all 10 teams, Photoism photo frames, and 9.81 Park Jeju have received fan acclaim.

This is not all. The national team 'KOREA' product lineup is equally impressive. Last year, KBO signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Museum of Korea's Muzes (Museum + Goods), launching Muzes X KOREA uniforms and cheering tools. This year, during the World Baseball Classic (WBC), T-shirts and cheering sticks featuring traditional Korean Dancheong patterns were unveiled to great praise. A KBOP official noted, "We are currently coordinating with the National Museum Culture Foundation to launch products with a new concept at the 2026 Asia Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) in November." By combining Korea's baseball identity with traditional culture, sports products have been upgraded into cultural and artistic commodities.

So how is revenue distributed? A KBOP official explained, "Typically, contracts follow a structure of base contract fee (minimum guaranteed fixed amount) plus sales royalty (amount proportional to sales volume). The more products sold, the higher the revenue for both KBOP and the 10th teams." As product sales increase, KBOP's profits rise accordingly, which are then fully distributed to the 10th teams, contributing to each team's financial stability. A virtuous cycle has thus been established.

A KBOP official added, "Last year, many brands proposed collaborations. In the past, proposals focused solely on product manufacturing, but now many include simultaneous marketing promotions. For example, including player cards while enabling fans to create 'their own team' through online registration. Brands sought to implement comprehensive marketing strategies at an organizational level." The official continued, "This made brand and category selection extremely difficult. Multiple brands sometimes proposed identical categories. Additionally, with so many inquiries, we lacked sufficient personnel and time to respond individually," candidly sharing their challenges.

While many products were beloved, one brand stood out most prominently: Starbucks. A KBOP official stated, "Starbucks has an exceptionally large loyal customer base and diverse events. They had long expressed interest in collaboration, and our goals aligned perfectly. We initially set March to May as the promotion period, achieving significant sales amid strong fan interest. Sales were temporarily halted due to the the 18th marketing issue, but during our 'Collaborative Merchandise Fans Want to See Again Next Year' survey conducted mid-season, Starbucks ranked second after Doosan Manggum. We are carefully monitoring the social climate and will discuss future collaboration plans accordingly."

Other product backstories were also revealed. A KBOP official said, "Paldo Bibimmyeon and Pepero were already steady sellers beloved by consumers. Nevertheless, they proposed collaborations to link with baseball marketing. Pepero utilized five flavors, presenting five distinct products per team. For Paldo, we adopted the concept of their famous advertising jingle 'Mix with your right hand, mix with your left hand,' organizing products into 'right-hand teams' and 'left-hand teams' for added fun. Bamkel launched bags suitable for camping and stadium visits, offering convenient storage for cool drinks and uniforms, successfully combining practicality with fashion."

Baseball cards also exploded in popularity. A KBOP official remarked, "Since three years ago, a culture of collecting cards and exchanging them among fans has spread," adding, "Sales have increased accordingly. A trend similar to Pokémon cards has emerged, forming an exchange culture." The strategy of making cards easily purchasable at nearby convenience stores also proved highly effective. The official noted, "Given high fan demand, we are continuously collaborating with Daewon Media to further enhance card design, imagery, and overall quality."

Despite receiving such overwhelming love, KBOP maintains a clear boundary: it avoids encroaching as much as possible on the 10th teams' exclusive business areas. However, this is not merely a simple task. Even for a single product launch, KBOP must communicate with all 10 teams. Detailed designs and marketing plans require meticulous review.

A KBOP official explained, "We pre-review product categories and launch schedules to avoid harming individual team businesses. We generally avoid promoting products like uniforms, hats, commemorative balls, and cheering sticks that teams primarily sell themselves." The official continued, "Communicating individually with all 10 teams means handling countless details. Especially for famous characters (Doosan Manggum, LG Meonjak-gwi, Samsung Kakao, KT One Piece, etc.), since teams already manage these, KBOP tends to avoid them." Regarding Pokémon and Sanrio, the official added, "We considered collaborations with all 10 teams due to their diverse character portfolios. However, varying selection criteria and restrictions per team made actual implementation impractical."

Recently, KBOP has also focused on 'speed control.' Unrestrained product launches could inadvertently diminish fan interest and even induce fatigue. A July internal survey revealed that responses indicating frequent collaborative product releases ('many' at 22%) were nearly double those saying 'few,' with 'appropriate' accounting for 65%, signaling a potential saturation point among consumers.

Regarding this, a KBOP official stated, "Next year, we are seeking new collaborative product categories different from this year's. We are considering launching higher-quality products that fans would want to purchase, prioritizing quality over quantity." The official emphasized, "We believe reducing fan fatigue in the long term will better support the development of the KBO League merchandise industry than simply boosting sales. Additionally, teams themselves launch numerous products. If KBO also releases products exceeding fans' purchasing capacity, risks such as fatigue, poor sales, and inventory burdens cannot be ignored."

Thus, KBO maintains a broad vision focused on the future rather than immediate profits, breathing in harmony with its teams. Prioritizing coexistence with all 10 teams by seeing the forest beyond individual trees, KBO also demonstrates strategic care for fan sentiment — the true owners of the KBO League. As an attractive marketing platform even for corporations, KBO has achieved unprecedented growth, multiplying contract values eightfold in just two years, setting a new benchmark for domestic professional sports marketing.

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*This content was translated by AI.