The paper, titled A cause for academic euphoria: Seven BTS songs that inspire the learning and teaching of services marketing, looks into how educators can explore more creative ways to teach, such as using popular songs to teach academic concepts.

“Global popular culture can be a force for many things, including the learning of marketing-related disciplines,” said Dr Nurhafihz Noor, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the Singapore campus of James Cook University (JCU in Singapore).

“Sometimes as educators, if we meet students where they’re at, then they may meet us later at where we want them to be. The ability to code-switch is as vital for marketing as it is for teaching. As a longtime BTS fan myself, I wanted to look into lessons that can be learnt from each song,” he added.

Inspired by Dr Stanislav Ivanov's research about salient themes in the Star Wars movies and the future of tourism and hospitality, Dr Hafihz set out on his own research – with songs by global music sensation K-pop group BTS.

The BTS-Services Marketing Playlist

Dr Hafihz selected seven BTS songs, including Dynamite, Left and Right, Permission to Dance, and Euphoria, that mirror key concepts in the services marketing literature. The playlist was created based on the songs’ popularity, their salience to important service marketing concepts, as well as his experience in using them as pre-lecture music and during classroom teaching.

The songs were lined up to match the flow of topics in services marketing – from optimising the service’s brand and experiences, to managing external and internal customer relations, and ending with customer care and well-being. For example, the song Dynamite shares a lesson about creating brand differentiation and distinctiveness, Left and Right is a reminder of how companies must build mental and physical availability to be easily remembered and chosen. Permission to Dance places emphasis on empowering service employees to help them better manage the uncertainties of service, and Euphoria illustrates the value of enhancing customer well-being by delivering uplifting and emotionally resonant experiences, especially with AI-related technologies.

“When I used these songs in some of my classes, I found that students could better understand and remember the concepts,” said Dr Hafihz.

“While seven songs have been originally selected in this paper, I encourage fellow educators to adapt the playlist and make it their own with other songs that they can draw inspiration from. I hope that the playlist can be used as a key element to guide the design and experience of a more euphoric class on services marketing,” he added.

PAPER

Noor, N. (2025). A cause for academic euphoria: Seven BTS songs that inspire the learning and teaching of services marketing. Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2025.8.2.10

Check out Dr Nurhafihz Noor’s staff and research profiles here.

Find out more about business courses at JCU in Singapore.

Discover further information on areas of research, and research strength at James Cook University in Singapore.

Find out more about the Singapore campus of James Cook University.

Contacts

Dr Nurhafihz Noor nurhafihz.noor@jcu.edu.au

Media: Ms Pinky Sibal pinky.sibal@jcu.edu.au / Ms Hoe Shu Rin shurin.hoe@jcu.edu.au