Emotional attachment to brands in the K-pop industry : The case of male K-pop bands in Russia
Skvortsova, Alina (2020)
Skvortsova, Alina
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202005128659
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202005128659
Tiivistelmä
K-pop (abbreviation for “Korean pop”), the 7th most popular music genre in the world as of 2019, is nowadays actively promoting in other countries outside of South Korea. However, despite the enormous market potential, there has now been little active marketing in Russia aside from several concerts. Yet, it can be assumed that at the start of targeted actions, the genre will face cultural rejection. The objective of this research is to study how the Russian fans perceive and experience the K-pop male bands as an overall brand. The data obtained can be used to design messages used for future marketing in the country.
In order to achieve the objective, 14 semi-structured personal interviews and one group
interview with female fans in Russia were conducted according to the model suggested by the Customer-Based approach to branding.
The results showed that overall, fans in Russia generally view male bands more in relation
to specific artists within bands or focus on particular bands without viewing them as a
whole set of “male K-pop bands”. However, they all share the same brand characteristics:
they are bright, supportive, warm, and can provide motivation or distraction. Additionally,
the performers are visually attractive, and the content provided is generally viewed as
high-quality. Fans show high levels of emotional attachment to bands.
The results may be utilized as a base for further research of impact of this emotional attachment on artists themselves. Additionally, the results may be used by K-pop companies if they choose to start active marketing in Russia. They can also be used by other foreign artists who are targeting the audience with psychological characteristics similar to female K-pop fans of Generation Z but are unsure of which messages to communicate. Additionally, the results will be useful for domestic performers who may wish to replicate the service provided by K-pop bands.
In order to achieve the objective, 14 semi-structured personal interviews and one group
interview with female fans in Russia were conducted according to the model suggested by the Customer-Based approach to branding.
The results showed that overall, fans in Russia generally view male bands more in relation
to specific artists within bands or focus on particular bands without viewing them as a
whole set of “male K-pop bands”. However, they all share the same brand characteristics:
they are bright, supportive, warm, and can provide motivation or distraction. Additionally,
the performers are visually attractive, and the content provided is generally viewed as
high-quality. Fans show high levels of emotional attachment to bands.
The results may be utilized as a base for further research of impact of this emotional attachment on artists themselves. Additionally, the results may be used by K-pop companies if they choose to start active marketing in Russia. They can also be used by other foreign artists who are targeting the audience with psychological characteristics similar to female K-pop fans of Generation Z but are unsure of which messages to communicate. Additionally, the results will be useful for domestic performers who may wish to replicate the service provided by K-pop bands.