The Process by Which BTS’s Star Attributes Lead to Loyalty Through Global Fans’ Need Fulfillment and Satisfaction: Implications for Tourism Marketing
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1. K-Pop and Cultural Branding in Global Tourism
2.2. Star Attributes and Consumer Perception
2.3. Psychological Need Fulfillment and Satisfaction
2.4. Loyalty in Fandom-Based Tourism Context
2.5. Theoretical Foundations: Activity Theory and Content Theory of Motivation
2.5.1. Activity Theory: Social Engagement and Mediating Artifacts
2.5.2. Content Theory of Motivation: Achievement and Psychological Fulfillment
2.5.3. Integrating the Theories: From Symbolic Activity to Tourism Loyalty
2.6. Summary of Literature and Research Gaps
3. Conceptual Framework and Hypotheses
3.1. Overview of Proposed Model
3.2. Explanation of Variable Relationships
3.2.1. Psychological Mechanisms Linking Star Attributes to Need Fulfillment
3.2.2. Psychological Mechanisms Linking Need Fulfillment to Emotional Satisfaction
3.2.3. Psychological Mechanisms Linking Star Attributes to Emotional Satisfaction (Direct Pathway)
3.2.4. Psychological Mechanisms Linking Need Fulfillment to Loyalty
3.2.5. Psychological Mechanisms Linking Emotional Satisfaction to Loyalty
3.2.6. Integrated Loyalty Framework
3.3. Hypothesis Development
3.3.1. Star Attributes → Psychological Need Fulfillment
3.3.2. Need Fulfillment → Satisfaction and Loyalty
3.3.3. Star Attributes → Satisfaction (Direct Effect)
3.3.4. Satisfaction → Loyalty
3.3.5. Mediated Effects of Psychological Need Fulfillment and Emotional Satisfaction
3.4. Conceptual Diagram
4. Methodology
4.1. Research Design
4.2. Measurement
4.3. Sampling and Data Collection
4.4. Data Analysis Methodology
5. Results
5.1. Measurement Model Validation
5.2. Discriminant Validity Assessment
5.3. Structural Model Evaluation
5.4. Mediating Effects Analysis
6. Discussion
6.1. Interpretation of Key Findings
6.2. Theoretical Implications
6.3. Practical Implications
7. Conclusions
8. Limitations and Future Research
8.1. Sample and Method Limitations
8.2. Suggestions for Longitudinal, Qualitative, or Comparative Studies
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Construct | Operational Definition | Measurement Items | Source |
---|---|---|---|
Expertise | Fan’s perception of the idol’s ability, knowledge, and competence | 1. Outstanding expertise | Ahn and Lee (2010) Erdem and Swait (2004) |
2. Strong execution | |||
3. Knowledgeable | |||
Authenticity | Perceived honesty and trustworthiness of the idol | 1. Consistent behavior | Ahn and Lee (2010) Erdem and Swait (2004) |
2. Trustworthy promises | |||
3. Reliable character | |||
Likability | Positive emotional feelings and likability toward the idol | 1. Attractive presence | Ahn and Lee (2010) Ohanian (1990) |
2. Memorable impression | |||
3. Warm likability | |||
Similarity | Perceived similarities in values, tastes, or experiences | 1. Sense of connection | Ahn and Lee (2010) Ohanian (1990) |
2. Life similarity | |||
3. Taste alignment | |||
Need fulfillment | Degree to which engagement with the idol fulfills personal psychological needs | 1. Makes me want to stand out more | Han (2012) Settle and Alreck (2014) |
2. Motivates me to achieve my goals | |||
3. Comforts me emotionally | |||
4. Makes me want to appear attractive | |||
Satisfaction | Overall positive evaluation of experiences with the idol | 1. Overall sense of happiness | J. H. Kim et al. (2021a, 2021b, 2022) |
2. Overall sense of enjoyment | |||
3. Overall positive experience | |||
4. Overall emotional uplift | |||
5. Overall sense of satisfaction | |||
Loyalty | Sustained affection and supportive behaviors toward the idol and related entities | 1. Consistent attachment | S. H. Kim et al. (2014) H. W. Lee and Kim (2020) |
2. Passionate preference | |||
3. Positive promotion | |||
4. Favorable recommendation |
Category | Subgroup | Frequency | Percentage (%) |
---|---|---|---|
Gender | Male | 459 | 50.1 |
Female | 457 | 49.9 | |
Age group | 20s | 218 | 23.8 |
30s | 233 | 25.4 | |
40s | 232 | 25.3 | |
50s | 233 | 25.4 | |
Education | High school graduate | 238 | 26 |
Associate degree | 201 | 21.9 | |
Bachelor’s degree | 384 | 41.9 | |
Master’s or above | 93 | 10.2 | |
Monthly income (USD) | Under $1000 | 152 | 16.6 |
$1000–$2000 | 180 | 19.7 | |
$2001–$3000 | 151 | 16.5 | |
$3001–$4000 | 160 | 17.5 | |
$4001–$5000 | 96 | 10.5 | |
Over $5000 | 177 | 19.3 | |
Ethnicity | White | 519 | 56.7 |
Asian | 236 | 25.8 | |
Black | 161 | 17.6 | |
Nationality | United States | 151 | 16.5 |
United Kingdom | 152 | 16.6 | |
Australia | 150 | 16.4 | |
Singapore | 157 | 17.1 | |
Canada | 153 | 16.7 | |
South Africa | 153 | 16.7 |
Construct | Items | Convergent Validity | Cronbach’s α | Multicollinearity Statistics | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Construct | Items | Outer Loadings | CR | AVE | Cronbach’s α | VIF |
Expertise | 1. Outstanding expertise | 0.891 | 0.917 | 0.787 | 0.865 | 2.287 |
2. Strong execution | 0.889 | 2.294 | ||||
3. Knowledgeable | 0.882 | 2.132 | ||||
Authenticity | 1. Consistent behavior | 0.886 | 0.919 | 0.791 | 0.868 | 2.223 |
2. Trustworthy promises | 0.887 | 2.264 | ||||
3. Reliable character | 0.896 | 2.322 | ||||
Likability | 1. Attractive presence | 0.888 | 0.924 | 0.803 | 0.877 | 2.334 |
2. Memorable impression | 0.904 | 2.513 | ||||
3. Warm likability | 0.895 | 2.348 | ||||
Similarity | 1. Sense of connection | 0.902 | 0.936 | 0.830 | 0.897 | 2.506 |
2. Life similarity | 0.918 | 3.017 | ||||
3. Taste alignment | 0.912 | 2.838 | ||||
Need fulfillment | 1. Makes me want to stand out more | 0.854 | 0.919 | 0.740 | 0.883 | 2.160 |
2. Motivates me to achieve my goals | 0.880 | 2.508 | ||||
3. Comforts me emotionally | 0.871 | 2.434 | ||||
4. Makes me want to appear attractive | 0.835 | 2.030 | ||||
Satisfaction | 1. Overall sense of happiness | 0.883 | 0.953 | 0.801 | 0.938 | 3.450 |
2. Overall sense of enjoyment | 0.892 | 3.434 | ||||
3. Overall positive experience | 0.911 | 3.915 | ||||
4. Overall emotional uplift | 0.904 | 4.191 | ||||
5. Overall sense of satisfaction | 0.886 | 3.746 | ||||
Loyalty | 1. Consistent attachment | 0.908 | 0.955 | 0.840 | 0.937 | 3.565 |
2. Passionate preference | 0.920 | 3.946 | ||||
3. Positive promotion | 0.928 | 4.319 | ||||
4. Favorable recommendation | 0.911 | 3.733 |
Construct | Expertise | Authenticity | Likability | Similarity | Need Fulfillment | Satisfaction | Loyalty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Expertise | 0.887 | ||||||
Authenticity | 0.724 | 0.889 | |||||
Likability | 0.826 | 0.761 | 0.896 | ||||
Similarity | 0.622 | 0.680 | 0.707 | 0.911 | |||
Need fulfillment | 0.703 | 0.702 | 0.748 | 0.792 | 0.860 | ||
Satisfaction | 0.753 | 0.736 | 0.790 | 0.714 | 0.756 | 0.895 | |
Loyalty | 0.637 | 0.665 | 0.669 | 0.777 | 0.810 | 0.792 | 0.917 |
Hypothesis | Path | β | t-Value | p-Value | Supported |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1a | Expertise → Need fulfillment | 0.177 | 4.527 | <0.001 | Yes |
H1b | Authenticity → Need fulfillment | 0.114 | 3.165 | 0.002 | Yes |
H1c | Likability → Need fulfillment | 0.174 | 3.940 | <0.001 | Yes |
H1d | Similarity → Need fulfillment | 0.482 | 14.636 | <0.001 | Yes |
H2 | Need fulfillment → Satisfaction | 0.203 | 4.563 | <0.001 | Yes |
H3a | Expertise → Satisfaction | 0.197 | 4.193 | <0.001 | Yes |
H3b | Authenticity → Satisfaction | 0.165 | 5.086 | <0.001 | Yes |
H3c | Likability → Satisfaction | 0.250 | 5.486 | <0.001 | Yes |
H3d | Similarity → Satisfaction | 0.142 | 4.084 | <0.001 | Yes |
H4 | Need fulfillment → Loyalty | 0.493 | 13.206 | <0.001 | Yes |
H5 | Satisfaction → Loyalty | 0.419 | 11.163 | <0.001 | Yes |
Hypothesis | Path | β | t-Value | p-Value | Supported |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6a | Expertise → Need fulfillment → Satisfaction → Loyalty | 0.015 | 3.128 | 0.002 | Yes |
H6b | Authenticity → Need fulfillment → Satisfaction → Loyalty | 0.010 | 2.468 | 0.014 | Yes |
H6c | Likability → Need fulfillment → Satisfaction → Loyalty | 0.015 | 2.587 | 0.010 | Yes |
H6d | Similarity → Need fulfillment → Satisfaction → Loyalty | 0.041 | 4.227 | <0.001 | Yes |
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An, B.-j.; Jung, S.-h.; Ahn, G.-h.; Kim, J.-h. The Process by Which BTS’s Star Attributes Lead to Loyalty Through Global Fans’ Need Fulfillment and Satisfaction: Implications for Tourism Marketing. Tour. Hosp. 2025, 6, 126. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6030126
An B-j, Jung S-h, Ahn G-h, Kim J-h. The Process by Which BTS’s Star Attributes Lead to Loyalty Through Global Fans’ Need Fulfillment and Satisfaction: Implications for Tourism Marketing. Tourism and Hospitality. 2025; 6(3):126. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6030126
Chicago/Turabian StyleAn, Byung-ju, Seung-hye Jung, Gui-ho Ahn, and Joon-ho Kim. 2025. "The Process by Which BTS’s Star Attributes Lead to Loyalty Through Global Fans’ Need Fulfillment and Satisfaction: Implications for Tourism Marketing" Tourism and Hospitality 6, no. 3: 126. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6030126
APA StyleAn, B.-j., Jung, S.-h., Ahn, G.-h., & Kim, J.-h. (2025). The Process by Which BTS’s Star Attributes Lead to Loyalty Through Global Fans’ Need Fulfillment and Satisfaction: Implications for Tourism Marketing. Tourism and Hospitality, 6(3), 126. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6030126