The Meaning of Identity

The contemporary world is characterized by the rapid globalization that leads to closer and more
frequent interactions between the representatives of different cultures and communities. As a result,
the modern world is a mixture of very inhomogeneous societies fragmented into numerous groups
based on versatile features and traits. The characteristics of different individuals compose their
identities and serve as the basis for the formation of their identities (Oyserman, 2009). In turn, the
identities create the foundation for one’s choices, behavioral patterns, and preferences (Toth, 2014).

The role of identities is to direct persons’ reactions and thought processes (Oyserman, 2009). Also,
identities are expressed in a variety of ways defining what people choose to do for work, what they
wear, eat, with whom they communicate, what they do in their free time, where and how they live. In
other words, people’s identities and their expression determine their consumption patterns (Mittal,
2014).

In addition, identities have a rather complex nature and involve numerous layers and aspects, some of
which are represented by cultural values, tastes, backgrounds, age, gender, and sexual orientation, to
name a few (Ruvio & Belk, 2013). In that way, a single individual may incorporate many different identity
aspects, each of which will surface in various situations and circumstances depending on which layer of
one’s identity is stimulated by an external factor (Ruvio & Belk, 2013). Reed II, Forehand, Puntoni, and
Warlop (2012) named three major types of consumer identity – abstract, individual, and group referent.
The first type (abstract referent) is comprised on the roles dictated by the community surrounding an
individual and the social constructs artificially created by the societies and cultures; the examples of
identities dictated in this manner are the gender expectation and familial roles, and also the preferences
of pop-culture items such as films and fictional characters (Reed II et al. 2012).

The second type (individual referent) is dictated by the impact of the other persons on one’s identity;
these influences may be known (when one is aware of his or her willingness to affiliate with a certain
individual) and unknown (when one has the desire to emulate with someone that remains
unrecognized) (Reed II et al., 2012). Finally, the third type (group referent) can be inflicted by groups to
which persons belong; these groups can be of different size and composition – small (families, groups of
friends, student clubs and cohorts), large (where not all members know each other – LGBT identity,
ethnic identity, professional identity), and social collectives (national identity) (Reed II et al., 2012). This
classification presents a clear demonstration of the composition of one’s identity and its multiple layers
that can exist independently of one another or be tightly intertwined.

The Self in Consumer Behaviour

Due to the need for an identity expression that can be done in a variety of ways, there exists a tight
connection between the identities of consumers and their choices of products and services to purchase.
In other words, there is a theory that many of the objects and services the consumers pay for are, in
reality, dictated by their identities, which means that whatever people buy is purchased not only for the
utility characteristics but also as an instrument for self-expression (Toth, 2014). For example, a car can
be bought due to its value as a means of transportation, helping one travel long distances more freely.
At the same time, there are many different types and brands of cars that have different appearances
and prices; and the particular choice of a car may represent one’s need to communicate his or her
personality and identity as a wealthy individual, an independent person, or a fashionable and tasteful
consumer, among others. The same tendency covers most of the other products and services that are
available in modern markets.

Moreover, purchases can be made for a purpose to fulfill the different identity needs of a consumer. For
instance, Aghdaie and Khatami (2014) argue that self-confidence is one of the major identify aspects
that can be altered with the help of consumption. In particular, self-confidence that represents how an
individual appraises him- or herself is expressed through the communication with the world and people
around (Aghdaie & Khatami, 2014). Differently put, self-confidence represents how one perceives their
status in the society that can be changed by means of purchasing certain objects or services whose
meaning is dictated by the communities and social groups. Another factor named by Aghdaie and
Khatami (2014) as a significant determiner of a consumer’s preferences and choices is self-concept.
Compared to self-confidence, this factor is more individualized and expresses the degree to which one’s
current perception of the self matches the desired image (Aghdaie & Khatami, 2014).

In reference to the consumer behavior, Ruvio and Belk (2013) pointed out that there exist two types of
cognition – analytic (the one that focuses on the analysis of parts of a whole and their interactions) and
holistic (the one that approaches the whole as a bigger picture and reacts to it). In that way, knowing
that each product in the market also has a multitude of layers and meanings, the approach to products
presented by the consumers is based on the specific features that interest them (Ruvio & Belk, 2013). In
other words, for different consumers, the same products can evoke different associations that are
experienced under the influence of particular identities.

Brand Personality

Since the perception of products is in direct connection with the consumers’ readiness to purchase it,
the marketers and manufacturers tend to take this phenomenon into consideration and use it for the
purposes of product and brand promotion. To be more precise, the product developers and the creators
of marketing campaigns employ different features of their products in order to establish what is known
as the brand personality that served as the medium to express the utility or functional features of
products (Ahmad & Thyagaraj, 2015). Developing a brand personality, marketers choose a more implicit
way of product promotion. This approach assumes that a set of qualities of a particular product would
be expressed using its image and personality instead of verbalizing them (Ahmad & Thyagaraj, 2015).
It is possible to note that this type of marketing can be more effective than the open advertisement as it
engages the processes of analytical and holistic ways of thinking and presents the product as a whole
with its individual set of features instead of communicating a literal statement of the benefits the
product carries. In other words, this approach creates an illusion that the consumers get to analyze a
product or a brand, detect certain characteristics they deem useful, and make a purchase based on their
own conclusion. In reality, this perception strategy is much more effective than making statements
about the usefulness of a product from the TV screen or a billboard (Ahmad & Thyagaraj, 2015). In other
words, it is more likely that a consumer would trust their own perception of a brand or a product than
the opinions of its manufacturer.

In turn, it is always up to the marketers and product developers which brand personality to choose for
their products. Usually, in order to produce the desired effect on the consumers’ decision-making, the
personalities of brands are designed in a way that would appeal to the certain traits of the targeted
customer segment (Ahmad & Thyagaraj, 2015). Consequently, to achieve success in this mission, the
marketers need to conduct research of the customer segment of interest and determine which features,
tastes, and interests that products should appeal to in order to become popular (Ahmad & Thyagaraj,
2015).

It is needless to mention that the contemporary consumer bases that are present in a globalized society
are very diverse and include individuals with very different needs, tastes, and preferences. It is difficult
to choose a point of interest that would not only help a product stand out from the wide range of the
other similar ones but also evoke the interest of a number of consumers large enough to create the
desired profit. Attempting to address this challenge, many brands engage in the creation of what is
known as fashion and influencing the abstract referent on the consumers’ identity, convincing them that
they need to have certain objects in order to obtain benefits (Ahmad & Thyagaraj, 2015). Usually, the
benefits targeted by brands are quite general and ubiquitous such as social status, health, or beauty.
These concepts are universal and tend to cover a very large number of consumers regardless of their
gender, age, ethnicity, or culture; and as a result, the brands whose personalities are related to the
promotion of such benefits are likely to be the most successful in the market. However, at the same
time, they are also going to have the largest field of competitors.

Khare and Handa (2009) noted that for the purpose of gaining success and being recognized by
consumers, brands need to help the buyers associate with them, feel that the brand personality
matches that of a consumer, and get an impression that the brand’s philosophy corresponds with the
values and needs of the customers. This type of affiliation helps to establish a fixed consumer base,
attract new buyers, and retain the existing ones. In other words, the consumers are going to evaluate
the brands based on their perceptions of selves, the existing identities, and the desired self-images
(Khare & Handa, 2009).