The Purple Thesis
The Purple Thesis
A look at brand loyalty amongst BTS x ARMY
About the Thesis
Summary
What is the thesis about?
"The Purple Thesis" is the thesis project of Zoie Hing, a Master's Advertising student at The University of Texas at Austin.
Her work focuses on fandom identity and behaviors between K-pop group BTS and ARMY, the group's fandom.
The full name of the project is "I Purple You: A Look at Fandom Identity, Behaviors and Loyalty Amongst BTS’ Army."
Impact
How does this impact the world?
Understanding how BTS and ARMY interact with each other can help identify the following:
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Characteristics of healthy fandom environments
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Characteristics of fans at various levels of brand loyalty
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Methods for brands to build relationships and long-term loyalty
The goal is to understand what factors of fandom impact brand loyalty, and how these factors can be applied to other industries.
The Why
Why study BTS x ARMYs?
The level influence of BTS is an unprecedented phenomena, even outside the world of K-pop.
The relationship between ARMY and BTS is also particularly strong and unique, as seen in the numerous fan projects and the social good work they do together.
Their ability to break records, smash sales and bring awareness to a variety of causes make them exceptionally interesting. These factors make BTS and ARMY a prime case study to understand how fandom impacts brand loyalty.
Fandom behaviors in K-pop have not not been studied extensively in the past, making this research new and exciting to explore.
Research
What does it take to make a thesis?
A mixed methods approach was used in this thesis, meaning that both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. The breakdown is as follows:
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14 qualitative interviews
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136 survey respondents
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75+ academic and pop-culture article references
Recruiting took place through social media, such as LinkedIn and Reddit, and personal connections.
Questions covered a variety of topics. These included how individuals became ARMYs, their behavior as fans, and their motivations for joining the fandom.
A special thank you to all ARMY who have participated in the research thus far!
Progress
How is the research going?
All primary research has been completed. Right now, I'm working on writing up my literature review and skimming through my data for key findings.
Interviews are being coded for key themes and implications. Survey results are awaiting review.
My thesis deadline is May 6, 2022. However, I also plan to release a simplified public version of my thesis in the summer!
About Me
Who is doing this research?
Howdy, I'm Zoie and I'm the researcher behind The Purple Thesis!
I'm a Master's in Advertising student at the University of Texas at Austin and will graduate May 2022. I specialize in research, strategy and analytics.
I was fortunate enough to work as a marketing research assistant in undergrad at the University of Central Oklahoma. I learnt most of my technical skills there before I began branching out to topics I really enjoyed, such as DEI and AAPI culture.
I've been a long-term K-pop fan. It's been more than 10 years! I listen to a ton of different artists. For BTS, my favorite albums are the HYYH albums. My favorite songs include Spring Day, Boy in Luv, and Baepsae.
In the future, I hope to work in a role where I can use my research skills to build unique advertising campaigns that can touch a variety of cultures and people. Afterwards, I hope to get a Ph. D. and teach at a university!
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Supporters
Are you doing this alone?
My thesis is being supervised by Dr. Natalie Tindall, Director of the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations at UT Austin.
I am also receiving advising from Dr. Meghan Sanders, Professor at Louisiana State University (LSU).
This research would not have been possible without them, quite literally. Both specialize in fandom research and have been incredible mentors. Dr. Tindall was actually the person who recommended I do my thesis on BTS, which wasn't my original research topic!
I'd also like to acknowledge ARMY for being so supportive of my work. From Redditors giving me advice to strangers willing to share my survey on their own social media and do an hour interview, you have played a major role in making The Purple Thesis happen.
Finally, a very special thank you to my friend Wei-Ting for keeping me sane during graduate school, and my friends Lillian and Nessy for always taking care of me and making sure I look after myself.
Learn More
Reach out with questions or explore my other work!
Email: zhing@utexas.edu | LinkedIn Page | Portfolio Website
