Agenda Setting and Symbolic Resonance: A Study on the Cultural Hotspot Generation Mechanism of the "KAWS×UNIQLO" Joint Event

An Interdisciplinary Analysis based on the Integrative Theory Framework

Abstract

This study aims to deconstruct the intrinsic mechanisms through which commercial marketing events transcend their economic boundaries to evolve into participatory cultural phenomena in the social media era. Taking the 2019 KAWS × UNIQLO collaborative launch as a key case study, we construct a triangular analytical framework integrating consumer semiotics, agenda-setting theory, and participatory culture theory. Employing a mixed-methods approach (case study and content analysis) and conducting a three-tier coding analysis of public-generated content meeting stringent sampling criteria across platforms like Weibo and Douyin, this study reveals that the ‘brand-media-public’ triad operates not as a linear transmission but as a cyclical, interactive dynamic process. Core findings indicate that the public's creative symbolic practices (secondary creation, playful adaptations) serve as pivotal transformers elevating events into cultural phenomena, their impact far exceeding passive information reception or consumption. Ultimately, this paper proposes a localised ‘agenda triggering-framework competition-symbolic co-creation’ model for phenomenon generation. This not only contextualises existing theories but also offers fresh analytical perspectives for understanding contemporary Chinese cyberspace's cultural production logic.