Analysis of Brand Advertising and how Brands Utilize Consumer Self Identity

Analysis of Brand Advertising and how Brands Utilize Consumer Self Identity

Researches that target consumer behaviour have often hypothesized that for a long time, people choose to consume in ways that align with their sense of self or identity. Thus, consumers prioritize specific brands since they use brands and possessions to create distinct identities for themselves and simultaneously communicate such identities to others as well. Consumer behaviour as it relates to self-identity implies that under specific conditions, customers may show associative or dissociative responses to products or services that are identity-linked, based on the identity they create for themselves. Consequently, companies are recognizing this factor more. They are seeking to utilize the link between self-identity and consumption so that their advertising strategy is perfectly tailored to suit the identity that consumers have created for themselves and increase consumption. The effect is similar to satisfying a need with the precise product or service that a customer prefers as compared to other brands.

Analysis of Brand Advertising and how Brands Utilize Consumer Self Identity

Self-schema defines an individual’s unconscious and schematized generalization about self. At the same time, self-representation is the conscious belief about oneself that can be depicted through actions, words, image, buyer behavior, and general conduct. Identity, on the contrary, refers to an intuitive sense of sameness over a long time. Once an individual has a specific identity, it becomes a part of the image they maintain such that every action aims to replenish or highlight the identity. Again, beyond self, a person’s identity also entails how other people view the image that a person portrays and associate each choice or action with the identity. Therefore, in understanding the link between consumer self-identity and consumption, it is remarkable that most people tend to base their consumer decisions on acquiring products or services that suit their needs but simultaneously define their identity. Reinforcement may be achieved by sticking to a specific brand that meets the requirement and helps the consumer express their individuality.

The self-concept theory explains how brands utilise the link between self-identity and consumption by illustrating that people behave in ways that enhance their sense of self. Advertisement campaigns ensure that each message is crafted with the consumer in mind to ensure that a brand is a tool that the consumer can identify with and use in depicting their true self. Adverts are therefore structured to serve numerous purposes beyond creating awareness to increase the consumer base and improve total sales. It is also noteworthy that while consumers always choose what they feel suits their identity, they mostly prefer items that are appealing and functional as well to enhance themselves fully. Once the features that a person desires are evident in a specific brand, the individual may develop more positive self-perceptions regarding the personality of the brand even if they have used the product for a short time. Thus, advertisements from most brands embrace the aspect of functionality and desirability to ensure that they appeal to consumers once a buyer has to choose a single product from a range of similar items from different brands. Marketing targets the satisfaction of consumer feelings and needs while simultaneously letting people know about a product’s unique features.

Consumer Self Identity Concept

The brands that people choose to make a statement about who they are while acting as signals of identity that enable customers to depict spell out their self-image to others indirectly. Thus, what people choose or the brands that people prefer over others are not just products but lifestyles, since consumption serves as a channel for portraying the identity construct. Consumers purchase brands that are consistent with their identity or self-image as a way to keep communicating who they are to the world. The concept of self entails the totality attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs about oneself that influence individual behavior and with further development; the person outlines a significant value of self that regulates their life. Consumers are likely to accept and embrace meanings from brands that are consistent with the in-group to which a person belongs while rejecting any brand that does not associate with the group. For example, an athlete who belongs to a group of fellow athletes who wear Nike sports shoes may choose to associate with the same brand as a symbol of membership or affiliation to the group. Thus, such tendencies are linked to self-image congruity where consumers purchase from brands that they believe have symbolic images that are aligned with the image they hold of themselves.

Companies are more aware of the shifting dynamics, and they strive to improve their brands through thoughtful marketing and advertising strategies that can portray content that is linked to the image that the target consumers have of themselves. The principal goal of brands in their advertising strategies is to help consumers communicate who they are to themselves and others, and great congruity between human traits that hint at a person’s self-image and the characteristics that represent a brand translates higher chances of consumer preferences of a specific brand. Additionally, brands are increasingly recognizing that congruity can influence consumer purchase intentions, provided that the product advertised matches a person’s self-concept as a way of self-expression. Any information about a product that is positioned to influence buyer behavior should be consistent with self-concept to gain the attention of consumers. Self-concept is a social phenomenon or an attitude to self and products act as symbols for buyers. That explains why marketers conduct extensive consumer research to get an idea of the self-concept and image of the brand. How self-concept and the product interact with each other is usually situation-specific because, in certain instances, self-concept can be enhanced, and that acts as a significant guide for marketers to distinguish between different brand choices.

Brands use the element of association to achieve their desired outcome when advertising. Typically, the role of advertising is to diversify the brand and make it popular among more consumers as a way of increasing awareness and widening the scope of the consumer base. While developing content that represents a brand, companies ensure they deliver captivating and appropriate content that is tailor-made to speak for the brand itself. However, based on the knowledge that consumer behavior and the choice is influenced by the identity that people choose to maintain, it is common practice to recognize that brands are shifting more towards creating content or embracing marketing strategies that do not solely capitalize on product awareness. Instead, the message lies in creating a connection with the consumer and meeting their needs. Accordingly, in their advertising strategies, brands utilize the link between consumer self-identity and consumption where they conduct in-depth research on consumer conduct to discover what self-identity means to the target consumers and how they choose to communicate who they are to the world. An example is evident within brands that market sports equipment.

Typically, people who are keen on staying fit as a lifestyle choice or those who stay fit as part of their career, such as athletes, prefer products that illustrate their athletic side. With repeated actions that reinforce their identity, such people embrace their nature and use products that bring out their actual selves to others. Companies, for their advertising campaigns, use personnel that associate with a similar identity to represent their brand so that consumers are convinced that their identity is a top priority factor and advertising strategies aim to give them the right products to suit their needs. Using public figures and passing the information via popular sites using the message that speaks for the brand in itself ensure the success of advertising besides simplifying the process of reaching the right consumers within a suitable niche. An excellently targeted advertisement has several advantages because first, the message that a brand purpose to send reaches the targeted audience quickly and faster while also saving costs by eliminating unnecessary audiences. When focus narrows down to ensuring that certain consumers associate with a specific brand, the company can then tailor its advertising and marketing strategy to the particular group and ensuring effectiveness instead of having to spend a lot of resources by targeting the wrong audience with a message that may be less relevant to them.

Social Identity Theory

Social identity describes a person’s sense of who they are according to group associations or memberships, and such groups may be social class, family, or teams with which a person has an association. These groups are often a significant source of pride or self-esteem as they grant a sense of belonging to the social world. However, in some instances, stereotyping is common, whereby people may place others into categories, and it is based on a standard psychological process because it is a normal tendency. While doing so, exaggeration is inevitable regarding the differences between people or the similarities of people within a group. Thus, people can group others unconsciously to specific groups while also dissociating others from the same group because of the perceived similarities that arise due to identity. Social identity theory is closely linked to the concept of self-identity and consumer behavior because by belonging to a particular group, people tend to associate a person with certain features or manage to predict the person’s most likely choice in a range of options (McLeod, 2019). For instance, when a person adopts the identity of a group, they tend to categorize themselves as members of the same team who share common characteristics or interests. Once an athlete classifies themselves within the group of athletes, they will begin to act in ways that athletes are believed to, and even when making consumer choices, the primary consideration will be in choosing services or products that are associated with the best interests of athletes.

Nike Advertising Strategy

The approach that Nike has used in its marketing campaigns relates to customer self-identity, and the company has used this tactic, much to its advantage. However, the unique aspect of the company is that their approach is more than just a strategy but also a simple aim to provide customer value and meet their needs efficiently. The interests of customers come first, and that is a principal consideration that the company has made because for a person who makes choices based on their self-identity, having a product that meets these needs is the key to developing brand loyalty. Thus, Nike has ensured that instead of just aiming to make sales, it is more important to give consumers a better reason to choose the brand by making more people see the importance and health benefit of jogging through the invention of high quality and comfortable shoes that suit the need.

Additionally, Nike has always strived to base the strategy on a felt need, and for a consumer to choose the brand over others, it must align with their identity. Instead of creating the need to have better running shoes, it capitalized on a better way to get in shape. When making purchases, an individual is likely to choose a product that aligns with their need and self-identity, and Nike ensures that by ingraining their strategy on a need that should be met. When consumers make purchases, they capitalize on their identity, but there have to be benefits attached to the brand that will suit the consumer in a specific setting. Thus, Nike has used this idea to ensure that the benefits of the company’s products are easily identifiable and not just the product.

From the case of Nike, other brands can emulate specific approaches that are worth embracing to ensure they fully utilize the link between consumer self-identity and consumption. Technology is rapidly changing, and that demands development as well by dominating several platforms to ensure a broad reach and make the brand recognizable by more consumers who attach self-identity to consumption. Also, embracing technology means adapting better to the needs of the audience and assisting them in highlighting their self-identity and staying true to a distinct brand. More advertising strategies by different brands focus on figuring the needs of the audience and ensuring that the marketing approach speaks volumes and appropriately utilizes the concept of self-identity in making consumer choices. Advertising today is utilizing more methods that target the benefits of using content that matches with self-identity and consumption. Content that addresses consumer needs is a crucial selling point, and most brands are embracing the unique approach.

Reebok Advertising Strategy

The subsidiary of Adidas is a giant sportswear apparel provider that has massive brand recognition, thanks to their advertising strategies that target the benefits of utilising the connection between consumer self-identity and consumption to the company’s advantage. The company has a unique positioning in the market by understanding that consumers have individual needs. With such distinct qualities, they have identified further that the distinctiveness of people makes them authentic and presents the element of self-identity. For example, a universal message that the company seeks to pass in its advertising strategies is the encouragement of women to stay mentally, physically, and socially fit. The letter forms an integral part of the brand’s marketing efforts, and every form of content that is put out through different media speaks out about the same idea to a specific group of consumers. Therefore, with the brand’s adherence to a particular advertising approach that capitalizes on the fact that consumers make purchases based on their identity, they can develop a close relationship with consumers who form an audience that is based on the fact that the brand allows people to express who they are to themselves and others truly. For instance, females who value mental and physical fitness associate themselves with products that encourage them to stay fit and healthy. Hence, when choosing a brand, consumers can quickly identify a brand that associates with their individual needs. As opposed to brands that are centered on pushing the product to the market, consumers are likely to feel at ease when they buy products that can help them express themselves better. The company’s vision is fulfilling potential, and for that, the brand is dedicated to granting each person the opportunity and inspiration to achieve everything they wish for within their capacity. The vision is well-spelled in the marketing strategy as it recognizes that consumers want space where they can feel a connection with a brand while also ensuring that they can freely express who they are with no limitations.

Again, Reebok tends to focus more on women’s apparel, as proven by several advertising campaigns or slogans that are aimed at consumer welfare and not entirely based on the product description. The move has been successful due to effective positioning, which has seen more females who are athletes or who prefer comfortable wear for their daily activities associated with the brand, which allows them to express their true selves. Through their innovative approaches, Reebok has successfully managed to build a strong identity that doubles up as the identity that most loyal consumers prefer over other competitor brands. The products are also designed with a tough, hard-wearing, durable, and tough look that is meant to represent the extreme lifestyle and encourage consumers to attain maximum heights of achievement and stretch beyond their limits. Thus, an individual wearing any apparel from Reebok may be categorized as a go-getter whose self-identity is that of a person with maximum resilience who can go to the extremes to achieve a specific goal. Again, being a customer-focused brand, products are classified based on various categories to make the shopping process more accessible, and while marketing, consumers can effortlessly identify which products make the cut for them and represent who they indeed are. The brand also uses a wide range of channels for advertisements such as social media, print media, online advertising, and billboards to achieve the goal of maximum outreach to consumers who value the brand due to specific features that satisfy a given need. One of the most common advertising campaigns designed by the company is ‘Your Move’, and the people who are incorporated to represent such campaigns illustrate the primary point that the brand aims to put across and get in closer contact with the target audience.

Conclusion

A brand advertisement has been and remains one of the quickest ways to reach the target audience and enable people to familiarize themselves with the brand and all that it represents. However, researchers have established that there is a connection between consumer self-identity and their consumption. The paper has extensively examined this concept and identified that since most consumers prefer brands that align with their interests and identity, more brands are restructuring their advertising approaches to ensure that their plans of action attain the desired goal. Theoretically, the paper has also identified concepts that influence how people feel and act following who they believe they are or who other people perceive them to be or embody. People tend to choose and stay loyal to brands that satisfy their need for self-identity. From an analysis of two brands that deal in sports equipment, the paper has assessed the advertising strategies that have been used by each brand and identified that within the advertising efforts, the primary message that the brand seeks to send to consumers is that besides letting more people know about the principal features of a product, advertisements are intended to provide consumers with a distinct sense of belonging as they can express who they are through the assistance of brand products that communicate more about an individual both to oneself and to others. Finally, as more brands are developing new innovative approaches to advertising and product marketing to penetrate new markets and diversify further in existing markets, continuous customer research is highly valuable to ensure that the changing needs and preferences of consumers are met. Also, research helps the company gauge the quality or relevance of their strategies so that any approach that does not achieve the specified goal is adjusted or replaced.

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