• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.479-495
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• 2019

This study defines Korean wave stars as Korean wave human brands and examines the influence of the characteristics, attachment, and self-congruity of the Korean wave human brand on brand equity. For this, this study surveyed Chinese female consumers in their 20s and 30s who consume many Korean wave products from May 2018 to June 2018. First, human brand characteristics, attachment, self-congruity, Korean wave aspiration level, and brand equity according to demographic characteristics were identified. Second, characteristics, attachment, self-congruity, and the aspiration level of the Korean wave human brand showed correlations with brand equity. However, brand awareness, a sub-factor of brand equity, does not show correlations with self-congruity. Third, characteristics, attachment, self-congruity, and Korean wave aspiration level had a positively influenced brand equity. Fourth, when looking into the mediated effect of attachment on brand equity, both human brand characteristics and self-congruity showed a partially mediated effect. Fifth, when analyzing the adjustment effect in the Korean wave aspiration level, a group with higher Korean wave aspiration level showed more correlations with attachment and brand equity. This study found that attachment and self congruity are important elements in forming human brand and brand equity. This study is significant in that it verified the influence of Korean wave brand power that has been on the rise recently on brand equity and provided a theoretical basis that has allowed researchers to determine that the characteristics, attachment, and self-congruity of Korean wave human brand significantly influence brand equity.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.559-575
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• 2021

The popularity of K-pop, the development of diverse media and communications, and rapid globalization are increasing consumers' attachment to celebrities. These celebrities, called "Human brand", have a growing impact on consumers. However, research on idol celebrities has been conducted mainly on teenagers. Furthermore, there are limits to the studies on consumers' attachment to idol celebrities who do not advertise specific products and intention to purchase products which are not advertised but related to the idol human brand. Therefore, this study has been conducted on 301 out of 400 adult women in their twenties to forties in Korea to examine the relationship between the characteristics of the idol human brand, attachment to the idol human brand, desire to imitate the idol human brand, desire to identify with the idol human brand and its fandom community, and the effect on purchase intention. For the statistical analysis, SPSS and AMOS were used. The study found that the characteristics of the idol human brand which are trust, professionality, social attractiveness, and physical attractiveness positively influenced attachment to the idol human brand. The attachment to the idol human brand positively affected the imitation desire toward the idol human brand, and the identification desire with the idol human brand, and to identify with its fandom community. Additionally, the desire to imitate and to identify with the idol human brand and its fandom community positively affected the intention. Furthermore, the relationships between all variables were found to have a significant mediating effect.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.291-308
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to suggest an effective marketing method for product advertising. With regards to this, 148 copies of survey data were collected from consumers, and the hypothesis of this study was verified using SPSS 25.0. The results revealed that (1) Human Brand attractiveness had a positive effect on Human Brand attachment among the products of low involvement. (2) The uniqueness and the intimacy of Human Brand had a positive effect on Human Brand attachment among the products of high involvement. Through this study, the effect of reliability, expertise, attractiveness, uniqueness, and intimacy among human brand characteristics on human brand attachment, human brand attitude, and product purchase intention was confirmed, and it was also possible to confirm the difference in influence on human brand characteristics and purchase intention according to the product characteristics involved. This study has expanded the research scope of Human Brand, which has been studied mainly by entertainers and entrepreneurs, to sports stars and through empirical analysis, it has tried to identify influencing factors to improve purchasing intent based on high and low-contention characteristics of advertising products.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.343-355
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• 2014

This study explores the characteristics of fashion flagship stores from the consumer's viewpoint, examines the differences by brand type in the flagship store characteristics, store experience, in-store emotion, and the post-visit brand response, and compares those of the flagship store with other stores of the brand. Flagship stores of the four brand types including luxury, SPA, retail, and national brands were selected for the online survey. Data from 537 respondents who visited and selected one of those stores were analyzed. Five factors including facility/service, scale/product lines, brand identity, location, and publicity were extracted from the characteristics of flagship store. There were differences in the perceived flagship store characteristics by brand type; The luxury and retail brands were more highly perceived in facility/service comparing to the SPA brand. Store experience and brand response were also different by brand type; Perceptions of the luxury brand were also higher than of the SPA brand. Overall, consumer responses to the luxury brand were higher than to the SPA brand. Consumer responses to the flagship store were higher than to other stores of the same brand. The study discusses further implications.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.187-209
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• 2017

Service industry performance and competitive advantage depend on the attitudes and behavior of customer service employees who produce and deliver services through contact with customers. Most studies on customer service employees so far have concentrated on kindness, attitudes, or benefits. This study focuses on the increasing importance of customer service employees and intends to study them from the viewpoint of human brands that recognize customer service employees as a brand. In addition to the role of the employee at the service contact point, the customer participation behavior affects the interaction process with the customer service employee. Ultimately, customers could no longer be excluded from control to improve service quality. This study based on theory that the human brand characteristics of the customer service employees lead the customer's participation, which has a positive effect on the relationship with the service brand and the service brand attitude surveyed and analyzed customers who use service brand. This study is summarized as follows. First, the relationship between the service brand and the customer is examined. Second, this study also expands prior studies by examining the human brand characteristics of customer service employees and customers' willingness to participate in providing information on the impact of the consumer-brand relationship. The results of the study indicate that among the customer service employees' human brand characteristics reliability, familiarity, and empathy were found to affect the relationship between customers, the service brand, and the attitude toward the service brand the most. This study provides important implications for theoretical and practical strategies by examining the qualities and characteristics of customer service employees, which are the most important agents of marketing.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.1180-1189
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to search the level of localization strategy of imported brands in Korean Market, to investigate relationship between the brand characteristics and localization strategy, and to study the case about localization strategy of the brand selected according to the type of brand. The survey research was employed and for the data analysis, descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and multiple-regression were used. For the case study, interview with the person who works in the each kind of company was used. The results of this study were as follows: Firstly, the level of localization strategy is found in order price, place, promotion and product. Secondly among the brand characteristics, type of brand, proportion of garments, price zone, launching time, number of shop are related with localization strategy, but turnover and number of the staff are not. Thirdly, license brand has the characteristics like as national brands and the differences between the branch and the agent is confidence and communication that are the basic elements of localization. This study can help national brands to refer the localization strategy and provide the understanding of localization strategy of imported brands in Korean fashion market.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.107-117
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• 2023

Purpose: This study attempted to confirm the mediating effect of brand experience and to travel brand community satisfaction in the relationship between the characteristics of brand community contents and travel product purchase intention. This study also investigated the moderating role of consumer characteristics. Research design, data and methodology: Based on a total of 381 bytes of data, hypothesis verification was conducted using Smart-PLS 3.2.8 statistical package programs. Results: First, the content community travel brand attributes, personal affordability and creativity are a lingering fragrances on the intended consumers ' shopping trip. Second, information provision, interaction, and creativity, which are the characteristics of travel brand community content, influenced consumers' intention to purchase travel products through brand community satisfaction. Third, playfulness, vitality, and creativity, which are the characteristics of travel brand community content, influenced consumers' intention to purchase travel products through double mediation of the experience and community satisfaction of brand. Conclusions: Tourism industry managers should be able to market content by forming their own brand community. It is necessary to create an environment in which tourism industry managers can use social media travel brand community content to give discounts to consumers, provide creative, playful and vivid travel information.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.400-412
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• 2012

This study explores the characteristics and effects of a pop-up store based on how the store attributions of a pop-up store influence brand attitude and brand patronage intention. The questionnaire consisted of 3 instruments: store attributes, brand attitude, and brand revisiting intention. Data were analyzed by factor analysis, frequency analysis, reliability analysis, and multiple regressions, using SPSS 18.0. We surveyed 123 males and females, who had an experience of a pop-up store, and interviewed five experts who work in the fashion related area. The results of this study were as follows. First, it was shown that VMD has positive impacts on brand patronage intention, but with no significant relationship to brand attitude. Second, a brand culture's experience of a pop-up store has a strong influence on brand attitude and brand patronage intention. Third, products in the store are the most important factors that influence brand attitude. The findings indicate that the promotion of diverse attributes of apop-up store is critical to make customers perceive brand attitude and brand patronage intention that are expected to be used to establish advanced marketing strategies.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.77-97
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• 2014

The concept that human and brand can related to each other is referred to as 'brand relationship' or 'consumer-brand relationship'. By arguing that the concept of brand relationship is a readily understandable analogue, it appears that relationship thinking in the context of consumers and brands sometimes is taken for granted without thoroughly discussing its applicability. This study tried to investigated the role of brand personification in building consumer-brand relationship. In order to explain the consumer-brand relationship as a kind of partner relationship among human beings, we need to define brand as human not inanimate object. Research findings show that personification is not a important factor that affects consumer-brand relationship. And this study shows brand experience is much more important factor than brand personification in building consumer-brand relationship. In the past researches, brand personality and brand congruity were major variables that effect consumer-brand relationship, but they did not mean consumers think their brands as human whenever they contact them. As a result, this study conclude that the frequency of personification is not that high compared to past studies suggested before, even if it is possible to find partial characteristics of human from brands.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1601-1612
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• 2022

As human brands, Idols, the central members of K-pop, are actively engaging in various industries based on the support of their fandoms, greatly impacting the national economy. In particular, due to the development of digital devices and technologies, they are active both online and offline, and idol avatars are a significant part of their activities across diverse contexts. Therefore, this study aims to categorize avatars used in various contexts and explore fandoms' perceptions according to each type. Based on case studies and literature review, idol avatar usage was categorized into products, supplier-led content, and interactive content, and accordingly, surveys and in-depth interviews were conducted. As a result, regardless of category, fandom showed a negative perception of idol avatar usage, as shown in the order of interactive content, supplier-led content, and products. Regarding human brand characteristics of idol avatars, attractiveness was evaluated higher than intimacy and likeability. However, the attachment to real-life idols showed a higher correlation with the characteristics of intimacy and likeability than attractiveness. This study is significant as it looked at the future directions of idol avatar usage by analyzing the fandoms' perception of avatar usage in the K-pop industry from a human brand perspective.