ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the importance of cultural relevance. This is the idea of breaking through into the routines and aspirations of consumers, then becoming indispensable to them. Reading and responding to current cultural influences may be the opportunity to make a connection with consumers. Marketing as a means of pursuing cultural relevance is discussed in relation to the brand lifecycle. Hereby, what is relevant to one group of consumers may not be so for another. Brands tend to focus on serving the routines and aspirations of a certain type of consumer. In so doing, they can lose relevance for others. This may especially be the case when considering age-based generations. Young consumers grow up in distinctive surroundings. They have new needs and desires. What is relevant to their lifestyles and values is likely to be different from what has gone before. Introduced therefore are generation Y and Z consumers. These cohorts have new ways of thinking and being that disrupt established norms. K-pop is used to explore how connections are made with Y and Z consumers. This pop culture phenomenon encapsulates the technological prowess, openness and global connectedness associated with young consumers. Korean wave enthusiasm also helps to illustrate a consumer cohort that is under considerable pressure to both stand out and fit in.
