Competing for Consumer Identity: Limits to Self-Expression and the Perils of Lifestyle Branding

TLDR: In this paper, the authors argue that consumers' need for self-expression through brands is finite and can be satiated when consumers are exposed to self-expressive brands, not only by a brand's direct competitors, but also by brands from unrelated product categories, non-brand means of selfexpression, and selfexpressive behavioral acts.

Abstract: The idea that consumers use brands to express their identities has led many companies to reposition their products from focusing on functional attributes to focusing on how they fit into a consumer's lifestyle. This repositioning is welcomed by managers who believe that by positioning their brands as means for self-expression, they are less likely to go head-to-head with their direct competitors. However, the authors argue that by doing so, these companies expose themselves to much broader, cross-category competition for a share of a consumer's identity. Thus, they propose that consumers' need for self-expression through brands is finite and can be satiated when consumers are exposed to self-expressive brands. Moreover, they argue that consumers' need for self-expression can be satiated not only by a brand's direct competitors but also by brands from unrelated product categories, nonbrand means of self-expression, and self-expressive behavioral acts. The authors examine these propositions in a se...