Korean Wave atau Hallyu telah memasuki era 2.0 di mana fans global dari seluruh penjuru dunia dapat menikmati budaya populer Korea melalui pengalaman transmedia di media sosial. Fenomena ini kemudian mendorong meningkatnya penggunaan konsep transmedia dalam strategi branding grup K-pop sebagai aktor budaya dalam Hallyu 2.0, salah satunya adalah penerapan transmedia branding. Menggunakan metode analisis konten, penelitian ini menganalisis bagaimana AESPA membangun brand persona melalui implementasi transmedia branding pada strategi branding mereka sebagai girl group K-pop representatif di era Hallyu 2.0. Penelitian ini menemukan bahwa AESPA menerapkan konsep transmedia branding dengan menggunakan tiga elemen desain, yaitu: narasi, partisipasi, dan brand. Penerapan elemen desain ini diperkuat dengan penciptaan worldview yang secara eksklusif mewadahi narasi AESPA serta inkorporasi teknologi mutakhir yang mendorong perluasan penyampaian pesan brand secara berkelanjutan ke cakupan audiens baik di ruang virtual dan juga dunia nyata. Melalui citra, identitas, nilai, dan keunggulan dari brand AESPA yang terdefinisi melalui penerapan ketiga elemen transmedia branding tersebut, AESPA dapat memperkuat brand persona-nya sebagai “Metaverse girl group” yang membuat nilai kompetitif AESPA di lanskap industri K-pop menjadi lebih tinggi.

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Korean Wave or Hallyu has entered its 2.0 era where global fans from around the world can enjoy Korean pop culture through transmedia experience in social media. This phemomenon then has led onto the increasing of transmedia concept usage on K-pop groups’ branding strategies as one of the cultural actors in Hallyu 2.0, which one of them is transmedia branding implementation. Using content analysis method, this study analyses how AESPA build their brand persona through transmedia branding implementation in their branding strategy as one of the representative K-pop girl groups in Hallyu 2.0 era. Findings found that AESPA has implemented transmedia branding concept using its three design elements, which are: narratives, participation, and brands. This three element designs impelementation is amplified by worldview building that exclusively accomodated AESPA’s narration and also advent technology incorporation that has driven expansive message dissemination continuously to audiences in virtual and also real world. Thus, through image, identity, value, and competitive values of AESPA as a brand that have been defined through transmedia branding’s elemen designs, AESPA are able to strengthen their brand persona as a “Metaverse girl group” that has significantly elevated AESPA’s competitive value in K-pop industry landscape.