CONSUMER IDENTITY AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE BRAND

                                   Raluca Mihalcea, PhD Student
                               Academy of Economic Studies Bucharest
                                    mihalcea.raluca@yahoo.com

                                    Iacob Cătoiu, Professor PhD
                               Academy of Economic Studies Bucharest
                                      iacob_catoiu@yahoo.com


ABSTRACT: In a consumer culture people no longer consume for merely functional satisfaction,
but consumption becomes meaning-based, and brands are often used as symbolic resources for the
construction and maintenance of identity. All human behavior is a symbolic action. People are not
just choosing the best, the fanciest, or the cheapest brands. They’re choosing brands that have the
right meaning. Brands are now creating value not just by the products or services they represent,
but by the meanings they generate. This meaning is being adopted by consumers to express who
they are and what they stand for. Meaning, in fact, may be the most important product a brand
creates today.

Keywords: identity, consumer divergence, reference groups, brand image, brand culture

JEL Codes: M31