Girls' Generation has been regarded as a prominent figure in South Korean culture and the Korean Wave. In South Korea, they are credited as the lead female group that shifted the public's focus back to female idols after the Korean music industry experienced an influx of male idol groups from 2002 to 2007. CNN noted the group as a "national phenomenon" in South Korea and labelled them the "Asian version" of British girl group Spice Girls, and Tyler Brûlé writing for the "Financial Times" selected the group as the one of the ten most recognizable features of South Korea in 2011; they were the only musical act to make the list. Japanese magazine "Nikkei Business" suggested the group's international expansion and success was the musical equivalent to Samsung's global trend.