Okay ARMY, gather ‘round. It’s that time again—brand reputation rankings dropped for October, and yes, BTS is front and center. The results aren’t just numbers; they’re statements. Let’s dive in, get a little angry on behalf of the boys, and celebrate how unstoppable they still are (remember—they’re no longer in the military).
So here’s how things shook out: in the latest October idol group brand reputation rankings, BTS shot to the top with a whopping 7,738,515 brand reputation index. That’s an 80.99% jump from September. You read that right: eighty point ninety-nine percent. Keywords tied to them? “Spring Day,” “ARMY,” “fan concert.” Related terms: “donate,” “congratulate,” “collaborate.” Their positivity-negativity score? A solid 92.24% positive reaction.
IVE came in second with 4,824,596, and SEVENTEEN climbed to third with 4,640,599, posting a 31.03% rise month to month. BLACKPINK and Red Velvet grabbed fourth and fifth, with 4,001,522 and 2,978,329, respectively. Soompi
You might ask: did BTS always rule this way? Well, yes and no. In the boy group rankings specifically for October, BTS also sits comfortably at No. 1, capturing 7,663,180 in index value. That puts SEVENTEEN at second with 5,500,082 (a more modest rise of 10.68%), Stray Kids at third with 3,484,943, BIGBANG in fourth with 2,503,119, and EXO in fifth with 2,459,139 (a 14.74% increase) Soompi+2mk.co.kr+2.
Let me pause and just say: how dare any metric pretend to compare to fandom love. But we’ll let the numbers speak—for now.
What’s being measured in these rankings? The institute considers participation, media coverage, communication, community, and weighs both positive and negative sentiment. So yeah, it’s not a popularity contest (okay, maybe it is), but the data is deep. mk.co.kr+2mk.co.kr+2
Here’s where I get outraged (lovingly, of course). BTS are no longer in military service; their hiatus from group activities is behind them. Yet—some months while not actively promoting—they still rank higher than groups practically living in the studio. That’s not luck. That’s legacy, impact, connection. It means ARMY is still turning up every single day—streaming, buying, engaging, defending. All that energy doesn’t vanish. And no, charts and indices don’t define BTS, but when they reinforce what we already know—they serve notice.
There’s also something poetic in the keywords linked to BTS: “donate,” “congratulate,” “collaborate.” These aren’t just marketing terms. They echo the philosophy the members often talk about: care, positivity, togetherness. The fact that such words rise naturally in public discourse reflects the imprint they’ve left in people’s minds.
Let’s acknowledge SEVENTEEN’s upward momentum, IVE’s solid base, and the legacy acts holding their ground. But BTS’s leap is from a different stratosphere. That 80.99% growth in a month? That’s not a trend; that’s an earthquake.
If there’s any takeaway here for ARMY, it’s this: metrics will come, metrics will go—but the truth is in the living, breathing connection between BTS and us. Let these numbers be another badge that says: yes, they still matter. And if they ever forget, let us remind them on stream weeks, album drops, and ARMY Day moments. Because in every index, chart, or list—they’ve already won more than they could ever ask for.
