Consumption acculturation of Brazilian K-pop fans

Armando Perez Palha, André Luiz Maranhão de Souza-Leão, Bruno Melo Moura
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21529/RECADM.2024015

Abstract

The marketing resonance of the major musical genre from Korean pop culture known as K-pop has grown worldwide over the last few years. Among consumer markets, Brazil stands out for how fans of this musical genre articulate the values of historically distant cultures through their consumption practices. In this context, the present study sought to understand how Brazilian K-pop fans experience a process of consumer acculturation. To this end, we conducted twenty in-depth virtual interviews with Brazilian K-pop fans from twelve different states in the country's five regions. The interviews were transcribed and organized to be treated by Interpretive Content Analysis, which allowed the identification of twenty-six codes associated with three categories. Such categories reflect the research results on the forms of acculturation of consumption experienced by Brazilian K-pop fans, namely, the cult of the musical genre, the performance of musical idols, and communal fandom practices. Such findings reveal that consumer acculturation occurs through the assimilation and integration of a foreign culture through consumption practices experienced by fans.


Keywords

K-pop; fans; consumer acculturation; interpretive content analysis

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