Brand Changes Me: An Exploratory Study of Perceived Changes in Consumers’ Self-Concept in the Life Cycle

Abstract

This study explored what perceived changes in consumers’ self-concept are influenced by the purchase of brands in different stages of life. The research focuses on both desirable and undesirable changes to consumers’ self-image brought about by the consumption of preferred and nonpreferred brands. The results of interviews conducted among 586 people (51.8 percent women) aged thirteen to eighty-two years showed that consumers perceive nine categories of changes in self-concept, and the proportions in the categories of perceived undesirable changes for self-concept do not differ much from the proportions in the corresponding categories of perceived desirable changes. We investigated differences in perceived changes depending on stage of life. Results revealed that stage of life differentiates consumers in the perception of changes in self-concept, which seem to respond to tasks and developmental needs at a given stage. The most important perceived changes in consumers’ self-concept relate to the image of a competent/incompetent person. Moderated regression analysis showed that women and men at different stages of life differ in perceived changes in self-concept. The results indicate the importance of demographic variables in the perceived symbolic value of a brand to the consumer’s self and can serve to segment the market.