If I ever stumble into owning a K-Pop company I would just drop the music, album, and video all at the same time 1 hour before their debut performance. I feel like the current marketing strategy of elongating the teasers, concept photos, etc. is a waste of time as it serves no real purpose unless you're debuting at a large company.
isn't it the other way around?
"surprise" debut can only works because you are in a big company and assured that you had many or enough audience to receive you.
if you are from small or unknown company you wouldn't had that big reach.
teasers, concept photos, etc are actually a promotion, thing that (in hoping of) creating trends and help you to shout out to the world that your new group are coming (or coming with something new). If there are only small amount of people who know that company, and that company didn't even telling what to come, it could be really a 1 day news and passed on like nothing.
it's a one form to sell your group.
another way to promote the group is by releasing a pre-debut content, either it was their photos (to cater the visual stan), or the member themselves showcasing their talent in dance or singing (to cater the talent stan).
but yeah, lately those teasers, concept photos and such are kinda stale. It could be understandable if the group are coming with a limited budget.
Some tried to make not just a concept photo but rather a concept film, some imbued the teasers with easter eggs, etc etc,
And it kinda understandable for a budget company to have a "stale" teasers, because they don't have much resource.
also sometimes when I see some groups' teaser or photos, it kinda vague... like what kind of market/fans they are targeting of?
Some groups are quite clear with their promotional designs and aesthetics, like the now trendy y2k, or the previous girl crush, which both are targetting some kind of people. This "trend" also makes other group to join the bandwagon and caused the teaser stuff becoming stale, because everyone now are doing the same.