The teenage heartthrob boyband teamed up with the U.N children's agency in November 2017 to promote self-esteem in young people and to fight against abuse, violence, and bullying faced by them. The agency announced on October 6 that they raised $3.6 million in the four years of collaboration with BTS and generated even a greater number of tweets.
The campaign named 'Love Myself,' a nod to BTS's 2019 hit track Love Yourself, launched nearly four years ago, spread its word through several avenues comprising of exclusive merchandise, social media hashtags, the K-Pop band's Love Yourself world tour during the 2018-2019 years and promotional videos like the 2019 video for the children's agency encouraging people to choose kindness. As reported by ABC News, the 'Love Myself' slogan was even adorned on dirigible airships flown over the band members' hometowns in 2017. The campaign has generated considerable interest on social media, with over five million tweets mentioning the initiative and more than 50 million engagements.
According to the Washington Post, UNICEF set up booths at BTS concerts across the globe, and the boyband members have on several occasions spoken at the UN and filmed a video too. In September, the K-Pop group spoke at the UN General Assembly's world leaders' annual gathering. In a video released by the UN, they talked about how they faced isolation during the pandemic and how they dealt with their frustration during the shutdowns.
In a statement for the UN agency's announcement, BTS talked about how they came up with the idea for the campaign. Through 'Love Myself,' they hoped to reach young people and help them better their lives and make them aware of their rights. The band admitted that during their team effort, the members strove to love themselves, and they grew through the course of the campaign as a team and as individuals. They ended their message on the note that they hoped young people would realize that the love received from people around them can become the power that helps them to love themselves.
Talking about the campaign's success, Henrietta Fore, the Executive Director of UNICEF, lauded the groundbreaking way in which BTS helped spark the positive message it was trying to convey to young people in the video released by the agency. She called their efforts unmatched and incredibly valuable and has promised the children's agency will use the millions raised by the collaborative effort to halt violence against young people. BTS has said that it hopes to continue to be a part of the campaign in the future and do its part in helping people find happiness and love.
Source: ABC News, Washington Post