Marketing, Fans, and the South Korean Music Industry

My Senior Honors Thesis, titled "Marketing, Fans, and the South Korean Music Industry," explored the effects of transmedia storytelling and marketing strategies utilized within the South Korean music industry on Kpop fans. Specifically, the study centers on three key marketing strategies: social media use, merchandise, and community engagement. The study was conducted through an anonymous and voluntary online survey provided through Qualtrics, with IRB approval.

The results concluded that the three marketing strategies discussed had a positive impact on fans, leading to heightened feelings of satisfaction and loyalty, fostering deeper connections and emotional bonds to Kpop artists and fandoms, and creating a stronger sense of community within the fandom. The survey responses addressed gaps in the literature review by focusing on how the three marketing strategies negatively impact Kpop fans. These negative impacts include feelings of uneasiness, increased spending on merchandise, increased parasocial relationships with artists, and elevated amounts of time spent on social media.

Overall, the intersection of transmedia storytelling, social media usage, merchandise, and community engagement proved to be an eye-opening experience, elevating my understanding of marketing techniques and providing valuable insights into fan behavior and decision-making processes.