10. Consumption and Identity
A. Why marketers need to care about identity?
- Identity is a key aspect of consumer behaviour
- Prius vs Civic
- Prius - more environmentally conscious
- Marketrs need to understand the kinds of identity projects that consumers are trying to build
- Prius vs Civic
B. Consumer Identity and Different levels of Identity
- Individual level
- Family level
- We use consumption as a way to tell stories about family; eg: Ralph Lauren
- Group level
- Attachments to key social groups as a part of the self
- Membership reference groups
- Eg: Harley Davidson
- National level
C. Social Identity Theory
A person’s sense of who they are based on their group membership which people belong to, are an important resources for people to construct a sense of their self.
Case study - HP12C
- Attachments to a social group as a part of the self.
- The HP12C calculator was a status symbol for accountants and finance professionals.
D. Gender Identity
- Men who eat beef-heavy diet are perceived as 20% more casculine and 30% percent less feminine than vegetarians