Photo Credit: Waymo (Instagram)
Self-driving cars from Waymo steer further into pop culture with Blackpink wraps on its fleet to celebrate the K-pop girl group’s 10th anniversary.
As autonomous vehicles from Waymo become the new status symbol for getting around some of the biggest cities in America, the company unveils new Blackpink wraps to celebrate the K-pop girl group’s 10th anniversary.
Waymo has shelled out a lot of cash to land celebrity endorsements across different fields of entertainment, bringing awareness to the greater public even beyond the company’s service areas. Currently, Waymo offers autonomous vehicle rides in select cities in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Austin.
Those endorsements have led to Waymo cars being featured in music videos as the new status symbol for getting around—a territory normally reserved for luxury vehicles like Bugatti, Ferrari, and Lamborghini.
Fellow K-pop girl group Katseye had one of its members, Daniela, ride around in a Waymo in the video for “Gabriela.” Kesha’s “Joyride” music video kicks off with the singer heading out in a Waymo. Bay Area rapper Saweetie’s music video for “boffum” features her departing in a Waymo, in a promo designed around Spotify’s tie-in with the company.
Waymo’s Atlanta launch tapped rappers Ludacris and Missy Elliott to ride around the city in one for a promo posted to social media. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, though not music-oriented himself, even based a skit around a Waymo, which went viral on TikTok with nearly 5 million views.
Back to Blackpink, there’s been some drama crop up over the group’s milestone, as fan frustration abounds over how label YG Entertainment has handled the 10th anniversary celebrations. On August 8—a decade since Blackpink’s August 8, 2016, debut—YG announced that it would hold an anniversary meet-and-greet over the weekend. But the short notice and limited scope drew backlash almost immediately, with applications restricted to fans holding paid memberships.
Just hours after the announcement, a woman was arrested in Seoul after allegedly attempting to smash a glass door at YG Entertainment’s headquarters with a golf club. The force of the strikes caused the doors to open, after which the woman entered the building before staff intervened and police were called. No injuries were reported, and the investigation remains ongoing.
YG Entertainment moved to address the controversy and overarching fan concerns immediately afterward, confirming that all four members of Blackpink—Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa—would attend the fan event. They also confirmed that “all necessary arrangements were coordinated and secured,” perhaps to assuage any concerns about safety.
Individually, Blackpink’s members apologized to fans on social media ahead of the anniversary event, and together they held a livestream in which they further addressed fan disappointment over the limited scope of the celebration.
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