Merchandising/Marketing/Retailing: Branding

Behind The Scenes of K-Pop and the Luxury Industry: A Cross-Cultural Dynamic Topic Modeling Approach

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Abstract

Luxury brands have shown immense change in terms of audience and marketing methods, including K-pop group members being appointed as luxury brand ambassadors. As the fashion industry is acknowledging K-pop group members for a global audience to encourage social media engagement, this exploratory study examined how topics in social media text data evolved over time. Data were collected in language settings for global and Korean datasets, then divided into three time slices ranging from 2017 to 2022. Results identified five main topics in both data groups (“Attractiveness”, “Fandom”, “Events”, “Fashion/Outfits”, “Performance/K-pop”). Both groups showed that fans created social media content, having noticed that their interaction influenced the evaluation of endorsers’ EMV. However, the probability decreased as K-Pop ambassadors grew awareness in both groups. Evidence contributes to preexisting research on celebrity endorsement by integrating recent social media data. Managerial implications are discussed, regarding fandom involvement prominent in social media content.

Keywords: Luxury brands, Luxury marketing, Social media, Dynamic topic modeling

How to Cite:

Rhee, H. & Lee, K., (2024) “Behind The Scenes of K-Pop and the Luxury Industry: A Cross-Cultural Dynamic Topic Modeling Approach”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 80(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.17492