A SOCIOCULTURAL APPROACH TO KOREA WAVE MARKETING PERFORMANCE: CROSS-NATIONAL ADOPTION OF ARGUMENTS ON FOREIGN CULTURAL PRODUCTS IN A SOCIAL MEDIA CONTEXT

Abstract

This study attempts to discover the key factors affecting the cross-border adoption of arguments in social media concerning cultural products (i.e., drama, movie, music, and food, and so on) of foreign origin. For this purpose, this study examines whether social network traits (tie strength and centrality) influence the adoption of arguments on foreign cultural products in a social media context, with particular attention to the role of argument presentation mode and level of consumer involvement. The results demonstrate that social network traits affect the adoption of product arguments in social media. Further, an experimental study confirms that argument presentation (text versus image) and consumer’s involvement level significantly affect the adoption. Finally, it was found that the adoption of arguments on Korean cultural products influences consumer’s intention to purchase products made in Korea, suggesting the presence of the “country-of-cultural-origin effect.”