Korean Beauty in a Global Cultural Context

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국마케팅과학회
· 수록지 정보 : Journal of Global Fashion Marketing / 2권 / 4호 / 200 ~ 212페이지
· 저자명 : Eunju Ko, Eunha Chun, Seulgi Lee

초록

Culture appears to be the significant factor for the competitivenessof a country, as a unique cultural heritage canfunction as a differentiation tool that can never be emulatedby others (Kim, 2009). More and more countries are makinggreat efforts to recognize their own values and to develop culturalcontents. Korea, however, lacks a distinctive national imageor cultural identity compared to neighboring countries,such as Japan and China. In particular, the Korean lifestyleand traditional values are not being introduced to the world. Acultural prototype can be utilized to render the image of a certainnation more appealing. Living in highly diversified world,it is necessary to rediscover and properly understand the truevalue of our traditional culture.
Therefore, this study (1) identifies the intrinsic values ofKorean beauty from ideological, religious, and aesthetic perspectivesand backgrounds; (2) discovers the Korean beautypresent in the traditional Korean lifestyle and culture, includingclothing, food, housing, Korean liquor, and Korean paper; and(3) provides strategic implications for globalizing Korean beautyand improving the national brand value of Korea.
To discover the value of Korean beauty, a multilateral literaturereview was conducted. Previous studies have explored theintrinsic Korean beauty present in traditional culture (i.e.,ideology, religion and aesthetics) and in traditional lifestyles(i.e., clothing, food, housing, traditional liquor and paper).
Additionally, to reexamine Korean beauty as it is perceived ina modern context, in-depth interviews with thirteen experts inKorean culture were conducted. The in-depth interview methodwas also applied to determine the strategic implications ofglobalizing Korean standards of beauty. Lastly, the ExperienceGrid Model by Schmitt (1999a) was utilized to analyze theglobalization strategies of Korean standards of beauty.
This study presents the basic characteristics of Korean beautyaccording to three descriptions: Sagacious harmony of manand nature, Immanence of spiritual values: Symbolism and theculture of ‘Jeong ( )’, and Realistic optimism: Beauty of Pungryu ( ) and Han ( ). As Kim (2004b) emphasizedthe substantiality of intangible value despite the difficulty ofproving such value, Korean beauty actually appears in everylifestyle component, including clothing, food, housing, traditionalliquors, and Korean paper.
From the in-depth interviews, experts commonly pointed outthe importance of Korean people having pride in their owntradition and culture before aiming at the globalization ofKorean beauty. The results of interviews regarding the requirementsfor advertising and globalizing Korean beauty can besummed up in three points: ‘In-First-Then-Out’, ‘Find andStick to the KOREANESS (Korean Identity)’, and ‘Importanceof Presentation and Direct Experience’. First,‘In-First-Then-Out’ indicates that having a profound knowledgeof and pride in one’s own culture is an essential prerequisitefor Koreans. Second, ‘Find and Stick to the KOREANESS’stresses the development of core values and unique edges inKorean culture. Lastly, ‘Importance of Presentation and DirectExperience’ suggests that the firsthand experience of the totaltraditional Korean culture should be further expanded.
As a result, this study proposes five marketing strategies relatedto the Strategic Experiential Modules (SEMs) that can inducea positive perception toward Korean culture and nationalimage. Regarding ‘Sense’ marketing, developing luxurious contentswith a combination of modernism and tradition issuggested. Movies and fashion shows can be effective experientialchannels that can arouse either the aesthetic amusementof or pleasure in Korean beauty. In emotion marketing, relatedto the ‘Feel’, Ko (2005) described the emotional brandingstrategy in terms of an experienced aspect. Expanding the experientialchannel and creating emotional stimuli that composecertain moods relevant to Korean culture is necessary. Fromthe cognition marketing aspect, which is relevant the ‘Think’perspective, associative thinking with Korean culture can be inducedby a media program, joint Asian symposium and distinctivenaming strategy. As to the ‘Act’ module, raising thelevel of holistic experience and providing various options canhelp attract voluntary actions. Lastly, relationship marketing,corresponding to the ‘Relate’ factor, can be adopted, as thisfactor injects Korean identity into the whole experience, whichleads to a bonding relationship and sincere interaction.
Additionally, excellent contents and experiences need to beprovided to arouse the self-respect of the Korean people andto produce a natural word-of-mouth effect.
This study is intended to rediscover cultural values inKorean tradition in a highly developed material civilization.
Traditional cultures have long been transformed, recreated, andnaturally selected by socio-cultural changes and are now being redefined as subjects of global materialism. The developmentof unique Korean values can be utilized by many actors:Korea, by improving national brand value, and Korean companies,by establishing global marketing strategies and usingstorytelling as a marketing tool. It is time for Korea to grapplewith the means of globalizing and positioning traditionalKorean culture as having a premium value in the globalenvironment. The general aesthetic values of Korean traditioncan be useful in branding with cultural-specific storytelling anddifferentiating a brand or product (Kim, Kim, & Ko, 2010; Ko& Lee, 2011). However, anxious expectation for short-termperformance can ruin the ongoing efforts.
The main contribution of this study is that it encompassesboth an academic and a managerial perspective in definingKorean beauty and developing a globalization strategy by collectingcomments from a variety of expert panels. Further researchcan implement a quantitative study on consumers’ attitudesabout, satisfaction with, and evaluation of Korean culture.
Additionally, the application of this study to developing brandswith storytelling of Korean culture and as a substantive strategyfor communicating with customers is encouraged.

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