As the number and quality of goods have increased, consumers naturally have a variety of choices when making a purchase. Thus, only focusing on being the “first” and the “best” product does not always lead to attracting lots of consumers compared to the past. In order to make their products stand out and easier to remember, marketers are trying more and more methods to satisfy people's needs and attract them at the same time. While setting a certain concept to a product was a popular marketing method, nowadays, having a shared universe is trending.
The Definition of a Shared Universe
A “shared universe”, or a “shared world”, refers to a fictional universe from a set of creative works where one work can simultaneously stand alongside and fit into the joint development of the storyline, characters, or the overall world of the project. To further explain, a shared universe can be similar to a concept used in marketing when it comes to having certain characteristics which are often fiction. However, the shared universe is a larger idea since it includes a number of concepts that are interconnected to construct a network. A representative example of this would be the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The MCU is a shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. For example, while Iron Man is the main character that defends the antagonists that threaten peace around the world in Iron Man, he also works as an avenger in The Avengers.
Shared Universe in K-Pop
In fact, not limiting itself to cinema, a shared universe is also used in other types of content. Some of the K-Pop artists of SM Entertainment reflect a shared universe in their concepts. For example, a K-Pop girl group called Aespa consists of four members, but each member has a virtual counterpart that exists in another dimension. EXO is a group of superpowered beings from another planet, and the members of the group NCT are connected through a series of dreamscapes. Even though the concept of each group differs a little, they all share a place called “Kwangya”, which is an intermediary realm between the real world and the virtual world. SM Entertainment interests the audience by sophisticatedly delivering the connotation of the story of each artists’ universe via lyrics and visual effects in music videos. Lee Sang-min, a Marketing Director a t S M E n t e r t a i n m e n t s a i d , “ S M Entertainment focuses on setting a detailed storyline for SM artists’ shared universe to provide unique experiences and amusement to the public. The reason we do this is because SM believes that K-Pop should be produced as comprehensive art content. The shared universe of SM Entertainment is called SMCU (SM Culture Universe), which is a worldview in which the concepts and stories of SM artists are independently and sometimes organically connected to reality, the virtual world, and space.” He added, “The reason why people are drawn to SMCU, especially the shared universe of Aespa, is because it gives the opportunity to think about the future o f t h e v i r t u a l world. The intern e t a n d s o c i a l media which we n o w u s e f o r granted are algorithmized through the network and used as a service for customer satisfaction on the platform. I believe through the algorithm, the field of robots, and virtual assistants, we will be able to maximize people’s convenience in the near future. Thus, I believe that Aespa of SMCU is specifically popular because the story of the group is illustrated through music of which is not so alienated from the modern world. In addition, the digitalization eases the reproduction of contents of SMCU.”
CX Universe: A Shared Universe in Marketing
Furthermore, while the term “shared universe” is greatly used in fictional content, its usage is extended to the field of marketing, which creates a new trend c a l l e d C X U n i v e r s e ( C u s t o m e r Experience Universe). CX Universe is a new term created by a combination of “CX (Customer Experience)” which means the sum of all the customer-organization interactions with a certain brand, and “universe” which refers to the shared universe. According to Yoon Woo-jin, an Associate Professor from the School of B u s i n e s s Administration at H a n y a n g University (HYU) ERICA Campus, “CX Universe is a process where the consumer experiences ① trust ② commitment ③ loyalty to a particular brand.” He added, “IKEA and Starbucks are great examples of brands that utilize the CX Universe well.” Woo Soo-hee, a Graphic Communication Designer at IKEA, said, “IKEA is the world’s most popular home-furnishing brand with a vision of ‘creating a better everyday life for the many people’. IKEA provides an effective CX by offering customers a range of home furnishing products with great design and features at a reasonable price.” In fact, from its exterior design to interior design, IKEA has made an effort to maximize the accessibility and comfort to consumers in the customer journey. She mentioned, “A large scale of IKEA stores can be seen as the main tool for selling its products. All stores’ exterior design is uniform with a blue background and yellow letters, and in most cases, IKEA stores are located in the outskirts of the city as independent buildings. Thus, they can be clearly differentiated from other buildings and recognized instantly by the customers. In terms of the interior design, since IKEA stores are family-oriented, there are many facilities that make shopping convenient for big families. These include Småland, a free play area for the customers who come to the store with their children, and plenty of free parking spaces.” By having showrooms that offer a variety of interior solutions and market halls for home furnishing, IKEA makes furniture shopping easy for customers. In addition, a variety of services such as a generous exchange and refund process, personalized shopping service, and delivery with assembly service create an environment where customers can shop comfortably. Considering the vision of IKEA is “to create a better everyday life for the many people”, CX Universe of IKEA lies in the thought that people recognize IKEA as a place with everything they want and need. In accordance with the process of CX Universe which is having ① trust ② commitment ③ loyalty to a particular brand, when people shop in IKEA and find what they want at a reasonable price, they will have a good impression on IKEA and have trust in the brand. When this practice continues, people will have commitment and go to IKEA when they need a piece of furniture. This will soon lead to people believing “IKEA has everything I want,” which refers to the final stage of the process of CX Universe. In short, even though the vision of IKEA and the thought of people do not perfectly match word by word, since they both include a meaning that IKEA contributes to a better experience and life, IKEA can be seen as a great example of a brand that utilizes CX Universe for customer loyalty.
Conclusion
Considering the use of a shared universe in diversified fields such as in content and business, Professor Yoon mentioned, “Regardless of the field where a shared universe is used, one thing in common is that the subject of the shared universe uses it to provoke any kinds of call to action. However, in cases of the shared universe in K-Pop, there is a tendency that people who consume the product have a stronger sense of belonging. In fact, any kind of a shared universe provides refreshment to people with a busy and mundane lifestyle and helps them experience a moment of fantasy and freedom, which is hard to find in a uniform and capitalist society. Because of the positive effects of the strong ties formulated by a shared universe, I believe there is potential that its use will expand to other fields in the future. Large scale gatherings like international organizations heavily depend on the faith and communication within their circle, and thus the shared universe will notably help such operations.”