An Analysis of Viewing Intentions for Promotional Videos Using Fuzzy <i>c</i>-Means Clustering: A Comparative Study Between Japan and Singapore

This study systematically investigated the intricate relationship between viewers’ emotional responses and their viewing intentions toward animated promotional videos via a visual analog scale and fuzzy c -means clustering (FCM). Survey data collected from students in Japan ( n =71) and Singapore ( n =27) were analyzed via FCM, revealing four distinct viewer clusters: “high evaluation group,” “medium evaluation group,” “mixed group,” and “low evaluation group,” each exhibiting characteristic emotional response patterns. Multiple regression analysis revealed that joy (β=0.503) and excitement (β=0.276) had significant positive effects on viewing intention, accounting for 54% of the variance in viewing intention (adjusted R 2 =0.524). Statistically significant differences ( p &lt;0.05) were observed across cultural backgrounds, particularly in emotional responses to joy, with Singaporean students exhibiting greater appreciation. These findings contribute to optimizing promotional strategies for international video distribution platforms, emphasizing the importance of eliciting positive emotional responses and considering cultural variations in audience segmentation and targeting. A limitation of this study is its relatively small sample size, which may not fully represent the broader populations of Japan and Singapore. Future research should validate our findings using larger and more diverse samples to enhance their generalizability.