The Korean Wave, also known as Hallyu, represents a significant cultural phenomenon characterized by the global dissemination and popularity of various facets of South Korean culture, including music (K-pop), television dramas (K-dramas), films, fashion, cuisine, language, and beauty trends. Emerging in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Korean Wave gained momentum through the export ..read more

Sometimes realisation comes in a blinding flash. Blurred outlines snap into shape and suddenly it all makes sense. Underneath such revelations is typically a much slower-dawning process. Doubts at the back of the mind grow. The sense of confusion that things cannot be made to fit together increases until something clicks. Or perhaps snaps. Collectively ..read more

The big idea Audiences love to see athletes and entertainers behaving spontaneously, according to our recent research, because ad-libbed lines, spectacular catches, improvised set lists and the like make performers seem more authentic and genuine. We observed a preference for spontaneity in entertainment across several studies. First, we examined dozens of Buzzfeed articles from the ..read more

  The rush to deploy powerful new generative AI technologies, such as ChatGPT, has raised alarms about potential harm and misuse. The law’s glacial response to such threats has prompted demands that the companies developing these technologies implement AI “ethically.” But what, exactly, does that mean? The straightforward answer would be to align a business’s ..read more

In his forthcoming book, “Tactical Inclusion: Difference and Vulnerability in U.S. Military Advertising,” Jeremiah Favara, a communication scholar at Gonzaga University, examines military recruitment ads published in three commercial magazines between 1973 – when the federal government ended the military draft – and 2016. The three magazines are Sports Illustrated, Ebony and Cosmopolitan. In the ..read more

Museums represent a major social investment in communities and society. The function of a museum is more than a repository of valuable objects.  A museum is a social and cultural center for the community, providing both a link to the past and a connection to the possibilities of the future.  Importantly, a museum can provide ..read more

I recently participated in an interesting discussion with prolific authors who were becoming concerned about the future of books as a way to communicate ideas and as a source of income. It prompted me to return to a theme that has engaged me for quite some time. Everyone focuses on “return on assets” as a ..read more

Many aspiring entrepreneurs doom themselves to failure by making a fatal mistake before getting out of the gates. It has to do with the way they define the market they are targeting for pursuit. While a clear and precise market definition is a prerequisite for success, an effective process for defining a market is often ..read more

Back in 2016, The Marketing Journal interviewed Christopher Lochhead on the subject of Category Design. Here’s how he explained the concept: “The best companies don’t just invent something to sell us. They are not making products or services that just incrementally improve on whatever came before. They don’t sell us better. The most exciting companies sell us different. They introduce ..read more

What happens when businesses refuse to hire at-risk juveniles? Social worker Lucia Lauro was frustrated at the indifference of local businesses in Palermo, Italy – they simply weren’t interested in hiring minors from the prison system. Lauro knew that without an alternative path, first-time offenders would inevitably find their way back to prison.  So she ..read more