Impact of Korean TV Dramas on Taiwanese Consumers - Case Study Example

The Impact of Korean TV Dramas on Taiwanese Consumers Introduction The advent of television sets has led to the continued development of programs that enable consumers to enjoy this technology. Soap operas have become the leading programs in televisions in almost all parts of the world. These are dramas that demonstrate various themes such as love, family life, business, and conflicts. Taiwan is a major country that has been impacted by soap operas immensely with Korean dramas being the leading programs on televisions in the country. The country used to admire Japanese and Chinese television programs before the Korean dramas became widespread and captured immense attention among Taiwanese citizens. At that time, Taiwan citizens and the government were not interested in Korean TV programs because the two countries had been in conflicts that drew them further from each other (Chih, & Yang, 2008). However, the historical similarities between the states have motivated them to show interest in each other; the Taiwanese government has started by allowing its citizens to watch soap operas from Korea. These dramas have impacted the consumers of the country in numerous ways that were unimaginable in the past. Consumers in Taiwan have changed numerous things in how they conduct their lives; for example, the citizens of the country have developed attitudes towards various clothes, they have increased travels to South Korea, and they also prefer Korean dramas, music, and movies over those from other countries such as China and Japan (Chih, & Yang 2, 2008). There is a need to understand how consumer behavior of Taiwan citizens has changed because of the effect of Korean soap operas. This paper shows that Korean dramas have largely impacted the Taiwanese consumer in terms of behavior, demand, attitudes, tourism, and family and business life. Literature Review Sung (2010) argues that Taiwan’s preferences for these products from Korea began in 1999 when a group of rock musicians from Korea performed in the country (29). The group that was popularly known as CLON attracted Taiwan citizens using their dance moves, voices, and masculinity. The group sold numerous copies of their music album during this performance and later on, other Koreans started selling their products in Taiwan at a cheap price. The increased popularity of Korean soap operas has induced a large number of consumers to start viewing television. Hsu, Tsai, and Lin (2013) argue that citizens of the country spend more time watching the dramas than they used to do before the arrival of the product in the country. Korean dramas have also impacted Taiwan’s female students’ behavior of purchasing clothes. The students purchase clothes that actors of the soap operas put on during various shows; because they believe that these attires are the latest in the market. Actors of the dramas put on trending apparel so that they may look attractive and up to date; this helps the soaps to sell and capture the attention of numerous viewers (Hsu, 2012). The learners who want to keep up with fashion, therefore, watch the dramas so that they may know about the latest fashion immediately it comes up. Korean soap operas have induced on-screen tourism that involves travelling to the location of production of the dramas. Kim and Wang (2012) argue that consumers in Taiwan have increased their rate of travels to South Korea to watch the dramas live. The consumers who travel to Korea are mostly those who have positive attitudes towards the soap operas. These individuals travel to the country to watch the dramas live so that they may meet their favorite actors face to face. The favorite actors are those who consumers are able to relate with their looks, actions, character, and attitudes (Sangkyun, & Noelle, 2011). Although the consumers may not talk to the actors, being in the same room with the actors at the same time satisfies the viewers. Discussion Effect on Consumer Preferences for TV Dramas, Music, and Movies Taiwanese consumers increased their preference for Korean soap operas, music, and movies over similar products from other countries. The preference of the dramas from Korea increased because these products are cheaper than the counterparts from Japan and China. For example, Taiwan’s GTV shows soap operas, music, and movies from Korea to the citizens of the country almost freely. Since 1999, the television network focused on showing Korean soaps; this enabled consumers to develop strong likelihood for the product (Sung, 2010). Effect on Consumer’s Perceptions of South Korea Taiwanese consumers’ perception of South Korea improved from the time the country’s preference for Korean soap operas increased in 1999. The improvement in the relationship between these states has led to numerous perceptions and attitudes of Taiwan consumers towards Korea. Taiwanese consumers are now struggling to learn Korean language and history, and they have also started purchasing products made in Korea (Sung, 2010). Taiwanese are also learning to cook Korean food by travelling to the country and taking classes in various colleges. Those who learn to cook Korean food then open restaurants that specialize in Korean foods; this attracts Koreans to visit Taiwan and it continues to improve the relations between the two countries. Effect on On-screen Tourism Taiwanese citizens have increased their rate of travel to South Korea because of watching television dramas from the country. Consumers travel to the state with the aim of visiting the locations where the dramas are produced. Taiwanese travel to these locations so that they may enjoy their magnificence. The citizens also travel to the destinations to witness their unique buildings; this is because the soap operas are usually produced in exceptional houses (Kelly, & Brown, 2011). Taiwanese consumers mainly travel to Daejanggeum Theme Park where Daejanggeum soap opera was produced. Kim and Wang (2012) argue that the park had over 189,000 visitors from Taiwan and other Asian countries in 2006 from the time it was opened in 2004. These consumers travelled to the park to watch the live production of the soap opera, which was among the first few dramas to capture the attention of the Asian community. Effect on Television Purchases and Viewing Behavior The rate at which Taiwan citizens purchase television sets and watch programs on these sets has increased immensely. More Taiwanese families are purchasing television sets than they used to do before the influx of Korean soaps in the state. The electronics industry is thus reaping enormous benefits from this sky rocketing demand for Korean soaps in Taiwan. The youths are the main consumers who purchase these products because they are the ones who watch the soap operas more than other age groups in the society. Young individuals watch the dramas because they are mostly acted by youths, hence making them to be highly attractive. Youths also watch the soaps because they are able to follow the story lines of the dramas more than the old people who have poor memory and the children whose memories are still developing (Rios, & Castaneda, 2011). Young people have a strong preference for the soap operas also because they are more attracted to idols (celebrities) more than other groups in the society. The idols are the actors who are strongly loved by young people because they portray unique and lovable character traits. Effect on Gender Politics and Class Formation Korean dramas have also led to the equalization of gender roles in the family in Taiwan. In the past, Taiwanese families were divided into three structures that include patri-lineal, patriarchal, and patri-local; these structures are similar to those of China, which is the mainland of Taiwan. In the patrilineal family setting, all property is owned by males only; while patrilocal kin structure requires women to move to their husband’s houses and submit to them (Chih, & Yang 1, 2008). The patriarchal kin organization, on the other hand, requires individuals to respect generational relationships before age and gender. In the three family organizations, women were mostly required to be subordinate to men in the family; however, the influx of Korean dramas in Taiwan has revolutionized the traditional family structures. These dramas, which mostly demonstrate how women may be independent, have enhanced equality of gender in the state. Women are treated equally with men at work, and they can work and earn their own income as opposed to the past (Hsu, Tsai, & Lin, 2013). Taiwanese women were domestic workers who were not allowed to relax at home. The women performed household chores such as cleaning, cooking, and taking care of children. This has changed drastically with the advent of Korean soap operas because women are now allowed to relax and watch television; while they hire domestic workers to perform household duties (Chih, & Yang 1, 2008). The soap operas have also led to the classification of Taiwanese females into career and domestic women (Chih, & Yang 2, 2008). Domestic women prefer to stay at home and submit to their husbands because their aim is to acquire real love like the one demonstrated in the dramas. These women believe that they can live happily when their husbands love them more than when they are employed and lack love. Career women, on the other hand, are those who prefer to build their career before loving men and getting married. These women believe that there is no real love, and that individuals who succeed in life are those who concentrate on developing their jobs to earn high income. Effect on Globalization The prevalence of Korean dramas in Taiwan has also encouraged consumers in the country to embrace globalization. Globalization involves sharing information and consuming products from all over the world. Taiwan citizens have started welcoming new products from other countries after testing Korean dramas and finding out that they are educational, fun, and represent reality. These consumers welcome other products so that they may enjoy the intensives that they offer. For example, Taiwanese have started using the internet and social media such as face book where they share information with people from all over the world (Kelly, & Brown, 2011). The citizens also use the internet to find out about new music, movies, and soap operas from Korea and other parts of the world. This keeps them up to date and it enables them to take part in online forums that discuss these inventions. The internet also enables Taiwanese to learn languages and cultures of all other ethnicities in the world (Kelly, & Brown, 2011). This saves them the high cost that they would use to travel to these locations to learn new things. Effect on Consumer Preferences for Clothes Consumers in Taiwan purchase clothes similar to those that actors of various Korean soap operas put on when performing their shows. Hsu (2012) postulates that students who watch the soap operas are more likely to purchase clothes that they see in the dramas more than others. This means that the higher the frequency of a person’s behavior of watching the dramas, the higher the likelihood of purchasing apparel that is associated with various actors. Women also purchase clothing related with the soaps so that they may keep the memory of certain scenes in a show or so that they may remember their favorite actors (Rios, & Castaneda, 2011). Women buy clothes that artists put on during certain scenes so that they may behave in the same way as the performers. For example, while working in an office, the women wear official apparel like the ones performers put on. Conclusion Taiwan and Korea are Asian countries that share the same history of being colonized by Japan. The two countries had strong ties until they broke when Korea failed to honor its ties with Taiwan when the UN failed to recognize Taiwan as an independent state from China. However, this dark history is changing with the wide spread of Korean soap operas in Taiwan. These soaps have attracted the attention of Taiwanese consumers who now prefer these dramas over those from China and Japan. The soaps have influenced Taiwan consumers to start learning Korean language, travelling to the country, listening to music from the country, watching television more often, and purchasing clothes similar to those worn by Korean soap opera performers. The soaps have also classified women into domestic and career oriented women in addition to revolutionizing the family structure. References Chih, F., & Yang 1, I., 2008. The Genrification of “Korean drama” in Taiwan. The documentation and research centre for modern China, Leiden University xxII (2). 277-304. Chih, F., & Yang 2, I., 2008. Engaging with Korean dramas: discourses of gender, media, and class formation in Taiwan. Asian journal of communication 18 (1). 64-79. Hsu, H., 2012. Korean TV soap operas in Taiwan: an investigation of consumers’ clothing purchase behavior. International journal of marketing studies 4 (3). 16-30. Hsu, P.-F., Tsai, C.-W., & Lin, S.-Y., 2013. 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