Monthly Archives: October 2012

We have all seen, heard and probably danced to Psy’s entertaining “Gangnam Style”, but are we aware of the message it is actually trying to give? The outrageous music video is a mild social satire on Korea’s wealthiest city while Psy plays the role of the typical superficial Gangnam wannabe most Koreans are inside. Behind all the glitz and glamour, Psy is supposedly surrounded by – he is shown in a juxtaposition living the unglamorous life. He imagines being fanned by an attractive lady while actually sitting on a children’s playground; he happily hangs out with mobsters, elderly pensioners and tourist retirees. When it appears he is at the red-carpet flanked by two beautiful women – he is actually in an underground parking lot getting trash blown at him.

http://popdust.com/2012/07/25/psy-gangnam-style-kpop-video/

These subtle references to the ostentatious wealth Koreans aspire for – compared with reality, play not only on Gangnam’s lifestyle but also how almost every Korean wishes to live like them.

The truth is, Gangnam is the heart of South Korea’s largely materialistic society where the average household carries a credit card debt of 155% of their disposable income and every adult has an average of five credit cards. Gangnam itself is fifteen square miles and holds a staggering 7% of Korea’s GDP. Despite the parody of Korea’s society, most Koreans still aspire to live that lifestyle. Does that mean the poor are left in the fringes of rural periphery while these people live luxuriously without care?

I had no idea of the ironic statements underneath the video but I realized the nuances when I watched “Gangnam Style” a couple more times. If you don’t believe me, take a look yourself.

Futrelle, David. “The Wholesome Hidden Message of €˜Gangnam Style.” TIME.com. Time Business, 24 Sept. 2012. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://business.time.com/2012/09/24/the-wholesome-hidden-message-of-gangnam-style/?iid=biz-main-mostpop1>

Shin, Laura. “There’s A Personal Finance Message In ‘Gangnam Style'” Business Insider. Business Insider Inc., 21 Sept. 2012. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://www.businessinsider.com/gangnam-style-finance-tips-2012-9>.

Fisher, Max. “Gangnam Style, Dissected: The Subversive Message Within South Korea’s Music Video Sensation.” The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group, 23 Aug. 2012. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/08/gangnam-style-dissected-the-subversive-message-within-south-koreas-music-video-sensation/261462/>.

Response to: Sarah Brennan’s “Tiger Woods’ relationship with Nike, ethnic issue or strategic marketing?”

To answer Sarah’s concluding questions in her ethics blog, I believe Nike continues to endorse Tiger Woods for its own benefit of the company. If Nike truly believed Tiger Woods’ image would hurt the company, it would have cut ties long ago.

Nike stayed with Tiger Woods as its ambassador because it knows consumers will not give up their support so easily. But why do people still support Tiger Woods and Nike after such damaging indiscretions occur? Shouldn’t strategic marketing be ineffective if people are aware they’re supporting a defiled brand?

http://www.thecyphersagency.com/blog/2010/12/21/perfect-people-dont-sell-sports-disgraced-tiger-woods-boosted-nikes-sales/

No. There is some psychological process taking place in consumers’ minds when they blindly submit to tarnished brands. That process is moral decoupling – “when people separate out morality from other things” to rationalize their guilty behaviours   The theory essentially gives consumers “a free-pass”; people will acknowledge the wrongful acts involving the brand but simultaneously continue to support the quality performance of the brand because in their minds, these two figures are separated from one another. Reed suggests “perhaps this is what Nike [is] banking on. ‘From a marketing point of view, it’s relative to the brand and protecting the brand.’”

In the end, was it a good decision to stay with Tiger Woods? After all, his performance went downhill and Nike was left with a failure; can we conclude Woods was a bad investment?

KNOWLEDGE@WHARTON. “Moral Decoupling:€™ How Consumers Justify Supporting a Tarnished Brand.” TIME.com. Time Business, 17 Sept. 2012. Web. 01 Oct. 2012. <http://business.time.com/2012/09/17/moral-decoupling-how-consumers-justify-supporting-a-tarnished-brand/>.