Mark voted as K-pop artist with highest brand value for September in fan poll

Mark ranked first in Picnic's September poll for K-pop artists with the highest brand value, ahead of Le Sserafim's Huh Yun-jin and EXO's D.O.

Fan art, made by a fan whose social media handle is @sskngntuk, celebrating Mark's selection as the K-pop artist with the highest brand value among those who resumed activities in September PICNIC

Korean Canadian artist Mark was named the K-pop artist with the highest brand value among those who resumed activities in September, according to fan-voting platform Picnic.

In the poll, which ran from Sept. 16 to 30, Mark ranked first with 41,574 votes. Huh Yun-jin of girl group Le Sserafim placed second with 41,326 votes, followed by D.O. of EXO with 40,402 votes.

Picnic attributed Mark’s selection to his music experience, primarily gained through his time with NCT, and his relationship with fans, which he has maintained throughout his career.

Mark left NCT and its subunits NCT 127 and NCT Dream in April and launched his solo career with “My Friend,” released on Sept. 10.

“An artist’s brand value is not determined solely by their current group affiliation or performance on streaming charts,” a spokesperson for Picnic said. “The […] abilities developed throughout their career, their relationships with fans and [people’s] anticipations for their future [achievements] are also important factors in shaping their individual brand.”

“Mark’s first-place finish shows that continued fan support can help sustain an artist’s individual brand competitiveness, even […] through any [career-related] changes,” the spokesperson added.

Picnic hosts weekly polls on a wide range of K-pop topics in collaboration with the Korea JoongAng Daily.

Fans can participate through Picnic’s official website or its mobile app.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]