KiiiKiii Tops Rookie K-pop Idol Brand Rankings for May 2025
The K-pop industry welcomes a new frontrunner as girl group KiiiKiii (Jiyoo, Isol, Sui, Haeum, and Kiya) clinched the top spot in May 2025’s Rookie Idol Group Brand Reputation Rankings. According to the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, KiiiKiii secured first place in the monthly analysis, signaling their skyrocketing popularity among fans and the media alike.
Following KiiiKiii on the leaderboard were Hearts2Hearts in second place, ILLIT in third, TWORS in fourth, and IZNA in fifth. The brand rankings are based on extensive analysis of big data, capturing media exposure, community engagement, and consumer communication around new K-pop acts.
KiiiKiii’s brand index reached 1,634,366, comprising a participation index of 199,634, media index of 305,743, communication index of 521,070, and community index of 607,919. The group not only dominated media buzz but also reflected strong fan interaction and online engagement.
Goo Chang-hwan, director at the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, noted that for May’s data, KiiiKiii was frequently associated with keywords such as “Idomy,” “BTG,” and “KiiiKiii Box.” Positive sentiment prevailed, with an 87.49% positivity rate in the sentiment analysis.
The study drew from over 10.34 million data points collected between April 1 and May 1, an increase of 1.24% from April’s dataset. The rankings consider both quantitative data and qualitative evaluations through their brand monitoring system.
This month’s analysis encompassed a wide range of promising rookie groups, including BabyMonster, LUCENN, If:I, CAT’S EYE, UNIS, New:bit, CloseYourEyes, MIYAO, Artemis, Eight, Say My Name, Big Ocean, Genius, SOUPIA, Nowadays, NUERA, Candy Shop, Kickflip, Lost, VVS, Horizon, A1, LUN8, Tracer, NexG, MadeIn, Unicode, Badvillain, Assent, Bubby, DayChild, Allhours, Witches, Dymon, VIV, Nomad, In A Minute, Pickers, Crezl, NKIVE, Bwave, TIO, Genblue, I:mond, and VCHA.
