The Concept of Consumer Identity Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp

Question: Disucss about the Impact of Consumer Identity on Consumer Behavior and Purchasing Decision. Answer: Introduction The article seeks to explore the impact of consumer identity on consumer behavior and purchasing decision. This article discusses how each individual is endowed with a separate identity and as consumers, these individuals will tend to consume in a way that appears to be consistent with his own sense of self. It states that an individual will not necessarily consume a product simply because he likes it or is in need of the same (Reed et al. 2012). Rather, he will consume it if he associates with the attributes of the brand that the brand endorses while promoting its products. A very significant aspect of the article is that it discusses and critically analyzes the concept of consumer identity, its various aspects such as identity salience and identity relevance, the common types of consumer identity and the products these consumers associate with. The article states that while most of the organizations focus on the production of innovative products, many lose out simply because they o verlooked the importance of studying the consumers. It is not sufficient to investigate and comprehend the needs and demands of the consumers and produce products accordingly. In a competitive market, a highly important factor that can ensure organizational success is how far the company is able to promote its products in a way that it can persuade the consumers of the target consumer base purchase the product. Theoretical Foundations: The article is written primarily on the basis of the information available via the research reports and published journals of the past researches. The article explores the theories pertaining to two branches of knowledge- Sociology and Marketing Management. At the very same time, Psychological theories of self have been explored as well (Brodie 2017). In the article, the writer defines identity as any category level with which a consumer or any individual at large associates himself with. While some identities have been defined to be more stable and objective such as those pertaining to relations or ethnicity, other identities may be fluid such as the nature a person has or the political party he has faith in. The article explores the concept of identity right from the scratch and employs the use of different sociological theories associated with human identity, such as Personal Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory to establish how the demographic, social or cultural factors ca n influence the consumer decision making process of any individual. Once identity has been defined, the article refers to management theories such as consumer buying behavior theory and marketing theory to explore the foundation of the consumer psychology which compels a consumer to buy or refuse a specific product. With the help of various management theories, the article investigates different underlying cognitive processes that explainconsumers' choices and how each of them responds to the influence of marketing, as well as the external stimuli that convince them to purchase certain items. Here, the author refers to the SocialIdentity Theoryas developed by Tajfel and Turner and the Self Concept Theory as developed by Cohen and Reed (Bhattacharjee et al. 2014) Nature of the Research: The discussed article has employed the use of Qualitative Research Method. The research data is based solely on the qualitative data derived through secondary resources. As a result, no interview or survey has been conducted to confirm the data collected. The research findings are based on the second hand data derived via literary articles, published business journals and magazines, as well as business management books (Taylor et al. 2015). The article also explores important concepts relevant to the research from Sociology and Psychology books and journals. However, the absence of any primary data can definitely question the reliability of the research findings and the relevance in the present scenario. However, the review of articles as a source of secondary data adds to the knowledge. Further, the article employs the use of Positivism research philosophy whereby it discusses and unfolds a variety of basic and important concepts about consumer identity of the self and the ways in w hich their personal identities influence their purchasing behavior (Flick 2015). Sample Size Considerations: As far as the reviewed article is concerned, it should be noted that the article has not employed the use of quantitative research method. Nor has it used any form of primary data in order to derive the conclusion. Since the research does not employ the use of any primary data, no sampling technique needed any kind of consideration. Key Findings from the Research: The key findings of the research suggest that the identity of an individual has a profound impact how he thinks, feels or the way he perceives products the time they are being launched and promoted in the market. Each product or service comes with a variety of brand attributes that appeal to a specific customer segment, and those consumers who associate their own image, identities and preference with the brand ultimately become the buyers of the product. The article states that not only the personal aspects of ones identity matters, but also his socio-cultural beliefs and political standpoints determine his purchasing decision. Accordingly, an individual who is young and energetic and identifies himself with an athlete will naturally get attracted to brands like Adidas, the tagline of which is Impossible is Nothing. Again, similarly even though cosmetic brands like Maybelline targets the customer base who are women and have a sophisticated sense of fashion, the brand attributes defin ed by the tagline determine if it can attract customer base or not. Since a major part of the women belonging to the Maybelline customer base are self-dependent, ambitious woman, the company had to revise its tagline and come up with Make it Happen instead of the old one that states: Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's Maybelline (Muehling et al. 2014). Besides, the article sheds light on how the consumption choices of a buyer are influenced by the social and cultural identity that he associates himself with. New Findings: The article is academically very significant as it directly contributes to the existent knowledge and enlightens on about the importance of considering consumer identity while branding and promoting a product. So far most of the past research studies have tried to address the factors influencing consumer purchasing decision and have considered factor like price, trends, social status. However, this research article offers a unique perspective in demonstrating how the identity the consumer identifies himself with must also match with the brand promotional strategy of a companys product or service. Hence, it is not only enough to produce goods as per consumer needs, but also to ensure the production and promotion of identity-linked products. The unrecognized benefit of considering consumer identity while branding a product has been discussed and critically analyzed in the article. Besides, the article also focuses on an important issue that has been overlooked so far. Even though a few research articles have earlier referred to the concept of brand identity, these articles demonstrate how the brand identity of a consumer influences his purchasing decision. This article adds to the existent knowledge by claiming how the consumers also use their identity-linked brands for creating their self-identities as well as for communicating themselves to the others and to themselves. Personal Opinions: I believe the most admirable aspect of the article how well different theories from different academic disciplines such as Psychology and Sociology have been integrated in the management concept. The author writes in an organized and structured style. However, the author focuses overmuch on the definition and categories of consumer identity, and could dedicate more attention to show the interrelation between the consumer identity and consumer purchasing behavior. Besides, the article could be more reliable had it been based on quantitiave data that could at least illustrate the importance of consumer identity in the marketing process with the help of statistical figures and tables. Things Practitioners can Learn and Apply: There are huge benefits of the research as it truly demonstrates how the companies while promoting their products need to be mindful of what the consumers of its target segment identifies themselves with. Starting with the taglines and slogans, till the marketing strategy or discount offer will be determined by the values, beliefs and ideals the consumer identifies himself with. The consumers do not necessarily buy a brand because they need it, but they can also prefer one brand over the other, simply because the former reinforces and expresses his self-identity in a far better way than the latter. Hence, the article will help the practitioners create taglines and slogans as well as marketing strategies as per the identity category of the customer base. For example, usually the Western countries have an individualistic culture and they will prefer fast food companies that offer discounts on a single meal. However, the people in the East usually are the members of a collective society who would prefer a large meal with the family, as they identify themselves as the family loving people. Hence, while selling the same product in the market of an Eastern country, the company should offer heavy discounts on the large meals. Hence, it is highly important for the business managers to consider the idea of producing identity-linked products. Reference List: Bhattacharjee, A., Berger, J. and Menon, G., 2014. When identity marketing backfires: Consumer agency in identity expression.Journal of Consumer Research,41(2), pp.294-309. Brodie, R.J., 2017. Commentary on Working consumers: Co-creation of brand identity, consumer identity, and brand community identity.Journal of Business Research,70, pp.430-431. Flick, U., 2015.Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research project. Sage. Muehling, D.D., Sprott, D.E. and Sultan, A.J., 2014. Exploring the boundaries of nostalgic advertising effects: A consideration of childhood brand exposure and attachment on consumers responses to nostalgia-themed advertisements.Journal of Advertising,43(1), pp.73-84. Reed, A., Forehand, M.R., Puntoni, S. Warlop, L. 2012, "Identity-based consumer behavior", International Journal of Research in Marketing, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 310-321 Taylor, S.J., Bogdan, R. and DeVault, M., 2015.Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley Sons.