The POP MART World Square store officially opened on October 11, 2025, marking another major step in the brand’s rapid expansion across Sydney’s CBD.
Despite requiring advance registration, the launch day still drew a long queue of fans outside the new shop, underscoring the retailer’s surging popularity in Australia.
Much of that momentum has been driven by Lisa from the South Korean girlband BLACKPINK, whose well-known love for POP MART’s Labubu figurines — from frequent Instagram posts to dressing up as Labubu during the group’s London show — has helped propel the brand into the spotlight.
Lisa has long been a fan of POP MART’s Labubu, frequently posting photos with the figurines on Instagram — and even dressing as Labubu, complete with a pink mask, custom outfit and pendant, during BLACKPINK’s London show.
Lisa is a fan of Labubu. Source: Instagram @lalalalisa_m
Lisa has been called a trendsetter and the “sold out queen”. She posted a photo on Instagram showing herself sitting in a car and smiling at the camera, while fans noticed that the tea drink she put aside is HEYTEA’s “Triple Supreme” matcha latte.
The drink went viral. Shops marketed it as “Lisa’s pick”, and HEYTEA quickly launched a buy-one-get-one-free promotion. Influencer content about the drink filled social media.
Lisa posted a photo with HEYTEA’s product. Source: Instagram @lalalalisa_m
This phenomenon of consumers following celebrities is not new. Singer-songwriter Jay Chou is a big fan of the tea drink brand Machi Machi. He was frequently spotted in Machi shops, including in Sydney and Melbourne. He also posts lots of Instagram photos with Machi drinks. Fans queued long to buy Machi drinks after he released the music video Don’t Cry, which was shot in the Machi Machi shop in Tokyo.
Machi’s popularity on social media is not just pure luck. The store always emphasises Art as part of the brand culture. In every Machi’s store, there’s a wall of illustrations offering a strong call to action for the customers – including Jay Chou – to take photos.
In 2024, the brand invited Jay Chou to take photos for the “Basquiat X machi machi Collection”, a special bottle design showing Jean-Michel Basquiat‘s art style. Jay chose to shoot in Hosier Lane, the famous street art and graffiti alley in Melbourne. In the Instagram captions, the brand quotes Jay Chou’s words saying “art is all around you”, aligning its “Life is Art” philosophy.
However, the social media marketing boost hasn’t fully translated into sales. According to Ka Men’s coverage, Machi Machi’s panna cotta tea series, which is the brand’s exclusive product and bestseller, had to be prefilled by staff during after hours and stored in the fridge a day in advance. This had capped the store’s maximum output capacity to around 1,000 cups a day, despite huge demand. The store seeks to solve this issue through stronger support from the supply chain.
Jay Chou in Hosier Lane with the Machi bottle. Source: Instagram @machimachi__australia
Another case study comes from AS Watson. The Song Love the 105 °C You (热爱105℃的你) went viral around the globe. Cover singer Tian Yi Ming’s TikTok video was reposted on YouTube and received 11 million views.
What the international audience might not know is that it’s an advertising song for Watsons Water. Its title mentioned Watson Water’s unique approach of 105 °C temperature control, but the title has been lost when spreading across the internet. The song has been better known by its lyric, “Super Idol”.
The sudden global fame of the song two years after its release caught AS Watson off guard. The brand’s official TikTok wasn’t active, leaving influencers to drive the conversation. The company later reactivated its channel, frequently replied to comments and launched some promotional campaigns such as on street singing challenges.
Despite Watson’s long history and emphasis on considerate, professional and personalised off-line customer services, the young generation often describe their staff on social media as overly enthusiastic or pushy.
The young generation posts about Watson’s customer services. Source: Red Note screenshot
Combined with the rise of online shopping, this has kept the brand distant to the audiences attracted by the song and made it difficult for the brand to fully capture the benefits of its viral moment.
The lesson is, in today’s consumer culture, people don’t buy only for utility, but also for the cultural factors behind products. Brands that stay prepared and understand their customers stand the best chance of going viral when they luckily win the heart from “super idols”.
Cover Image: Instagram @popmart_au