HUBUNGAN KETERLIBATAN FANDOM K-POP DENGAN USER GENERATED CONTENT DALAM PROMOSI UMKM MERCHANDISE LOKAL

The growth of social media has increased fan engagement, particularly within the K-pop community, in creating and sharing product-related content. This phenomenon presents an opportunity for local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) producing merchandise to utilize User-Generated Content (UGC) as an effective promotional strategy. This study aims to examine the relationships between fan engagement and User-Generated Content, between User Generated Content and promotional effectiveness, and between fan engagement and promotional effectiveness. It also analyzes the mediating role of User-Generated Content in the relationship between fan engagement and promotional effectiveness. This study employed an exploratory quantitative research design. Data were collected through an online questionnaire distributed through digital platforms,
including WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. The sample consisted of 103 respondents who are part of the K-pop fandom and have interacted with promotional content for local merchandise. Data analysis was conducted using linear regression analysis and mediation testing using IBM SPSS Statistics. The results indicate that fan engagement has a positive and significant relationship with User-Generated Content. User-Generated Content (UGC) also showed a positive and significant relationship with promotional effectiveness. Furthermore, fan engagement has a positive and significant relationship with promotional effectiveness, both directly and indirectly through UGC as a mediating variable. These findings suggest that higher levels of fan engagement are associated with increased UGC, which in turn increases the promotional effectiveness of local MSME merchandise. This study is expected to provide practical insights for MSMEs in designing promotional strategies based on fan engagement and UGC, as well as contribute to the literature on digital marketing and marketing communications. Keywords: Fan Engagement, UGC, Promotional Effectiveness, MSMEs, K-pop