“Do you really have to go camping when it’s this cold?”… They say they tell me an unexpected reason. [Books]

BMainstream Economics, written by Jaeyong Lee and Toss, published by Originals, 19,800 won

The popularity of the National Basketball Association (NBA), which had been on the wane since the 1990s, is soaring again. The ‘NBA Intuitive Tour’, launched by a domestic travel agency, was sold out within 30 minutes of going on sale even though it was an expensive product worth around 7 million won. The secret to selling out was that you could watch NBA stars LeBron James (LA Lakers) and Stephen Curry (Golden State) play in front of you.

NBA stadiums, which had fallen into a dark age after Michael Jordan’s retirement, are filled with enthusiasm and cheers again. There are two star players here. First of all, Stephen Curry is 188cm tall, which is short for a basketball player, and his build is not that big either. However, his trademark is to use quick and flashy dribbling to quickly break through and then shoot a 3-point shot from a long distance. There is also a fateful rival named LeBron James. He plays basketball with great destructive power, using his massive body of over 2 meters as a weapon, and enthuses the audience with his opposite charm.

But this alone may not explain the reason for the NBA’s revival. The NBA changed the ‘rules’ to capture Generation Z, who are addicted to ‘dopamine’. When the offensive team catches a rebound, 24 seconds of shot time were originally given, but it was reduced to 14 seconds through a rule revision in 2018. Faster and more aggressive basketball has become possible. In addition, copyright conditions for game videos were greatly relaxed, allowing game scenes to be freely edited through YouTube or social networking services (SNS). Various trendy basketball shoes, clothing, bags and hair bands are also capturing the eyes and ears of Generation Z.

If you look at the content described so far, it will not be much different from the content covered in general trend books. However, ‘Mainstream Economics’ written by accountant Lee Jae-yong, a ‘finance nerd,’ goes one step further. We look at not only NBA sales but also operating profits for each team. For example, the Golden State Warriors, where Curry belongs, have an operating profit margin of 20-30%. Operating profit is one of the most important indicators for analyzing a company’s actual profitability.

This book identifies current consumption trends and diagnoses the future using financial statements. Even in the published book market, the sales and operating profits of the three literary publishers (Minumsa, Changbi, Munhakdongne), the three practical book companies (Dasan Books, Book 21, Wisdom House), and the three major bookstores (Kyobo Bookstore, Yes24, Aladdin) are Compare and analyze the current status of the ‘publishing recession’. At the same time, as a way to overcome the recession, he advises referring to the branding strategy of the fashion market, which has a large variety of products and a low cost ratio.

Regarding the music industry, we focus on the trend of YouTube and TikTok changing the way they promote new songs. Like Blackpink’s Rosé’s ‘Apartment’, ‘Challenge’, which briefly shows only the key parts of a song or dance and encourages people to follow, has become an essential part of promoting new songs. We also analyzed how music entertainment companies make money and what aspects of popularity and narrative an idol group should focus on in order to succeed.

Although it is a book that can be enjoyed as lightly as a snack, there is insight and humor that hits the nail on the head. Regarding the failure of the artificial intelligence (AI) recommendation function in fashion platforms, “It is full of a thousand variables, such as trends that change with the slightest detail, personal tastes that change from time to time, the place where you will wear the clothes, the weather, your mood, etc. “This industry may be a field where AI has difficulty using its power,” he points out. There is some cautious speculation that the reason why the camping market craze is not easily extinguished is because people already have expensive equipment that costs not a penny or two.

This book is a reconstruction of the content that appeared in ‘Toss’ popular YouTube content ‘B Mainstream Economics’. The topic is Junggu Warning, but after reading it, you will feel full as if you have experienced a rich experience of Korean consumer culture.

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