Publicação
Soft power and country image: a study about the influence of South Korean Popular Culture on consumer behaviour
| Resumo: | Interest in South Korean Popular Culture has witnessed an exponential growth globally, especially in the last decade. Collecting dedicated admirers globally, popular culture has a role in the perception foreigners have of South Korea. This study builds upon the literature about power and country of origin effect aiming at identifying the impact that the involvement with South Korean popular culture has on the perception of the country and consumer behaviour. Thus, this study aimed to answer the question: “Does the involvement with South Korean popular culture influence positively the country’s image and soft power, leading to a better product image and, consequently, a greater willingness to purchase Korean products?”. A quantitative methodology was used to test the proposed research model, entailing involvement with Korean popular culture, soft power, country image, product- country image and willingness to buy. An online survey was applied constituted of items from previously validated scales and sociodemographic questions. The results show that the involvement with South Korean Popular Culture positively affects both the country’s Soft Power and Image, especially the first. Additionally, it was demonstrated that those dimensions have a positive impact on the Product Image of the country, which, in turn affects the Willingness to Buy South Korean products. Thereby, this study recognizes the involvement with South Korean popular culture as a positive influence for the improvement of the perceptions people have of the country – conceptualized through Soft Power and Country Image. The usage of the Hallyu (Korean Wave) by the country and its brands may lead to better results. Overall, the attitudes towards South Korea as a country and its products are positive, and it positively affects the willingness to buy items from the land. These results provide valuable recommendations for producers, distributors and sellers of Korean products. |
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| Autores principais: | Costa, Gilda Mariana Santos |
| Assunto: | South Korea South Korean Popular Culture Hallyu Korean wave Soft power Country image Product image Willingness to buy Coreia do Sul Cultura Popular Sul Coreana Onda coreana Imagem do país Vontade de comprar |
| Ano: | 2023 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade do Minho |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho |
| Resumo: | Interest in South Korean Popular Culture has witnessed an exponential growth globally, especially in the last decade. Collecting dedicated admirers globally, popular culture has a role in the perception foreigners have of South Korea. This study builds upon the literature about power and country of origin effect aiming at identifying the impact that the involvement with South Korean popular culture has on the perception of the country and consumer behaviour. Thus, this study aimed to answer the question: “Does the involvement with South Korean popular culture influence positively the country’s image and soft power, leading to a better product image and, consequently, a greater willingness to purchase Korean products?”. A quantitative methodology was used to test the proposed research model, entailing involvement with Korean popular culture, soft power, country image, product- country image and willingness to buy. An online survey was applied constituted of items from previously validated scales and sociodemographic questions. The results show that the involvement with South Korean Popular Culture positively affects both the country’s Soft Power and Image, especially the first. Additionally, it was demonstrated that those dimensions have a positive impact on the Product Image of the country, which, in turn affects the Willingness to Buy South Korean products. Thereby, this study recognizes the involvement with South Korean popular culture as a positive influence for the improvement of the perceptions people have of the country – conceptualized through Soft Power and Country Image. The usage of the Hallyu (Korean Wave) by the country and its brands may lead to better results. Overall, the attitudes towards South Korea as a country and its products are positive, and it positively affects the willingness to buy items from the land. These results provide valuable recommendations for producers, distributors and sellers of Korean products. |
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