OUGD501 - Study Task 06 - Consumer identities

Catherine Jansson-Boyd - Consumer Psychology - Chapter 4: Identity and consumption

In what ways can products/services relate to consumer identities?

• People can have more than one identity, online and in real life for example, people use different products to represent them
• Buy products to establish the role we are in/want to find ourselves in 
• Potential to mould and manage identities 
• We feel like we should conform and buy products that are representative of ourselves, avoid products that aren't 'me'
• Products can shape other peoples perceptions of us

How do consumers use products/services within social interactions?

• Social media platforms like instagram play a large roll in how consumers display products, through hashtags etc.
• People like to show themselves using certain products on social media, showing a certain lifestyle they wish to project themselves as living
• We need to impress others and show products they feel are expensive and will make others feel jealous of. 

Are there any ethical issues?

• Issues relating to child development, children being aware from an early age that playing with certain toys makes them more friends
• Self esteem issues, comparisons to others, never feeling adequate
• Narcissistic qualities can be developed 
• feeling the need to comply to behavior
• the feeling of 'self fulfilling prophecy', unable to express yourself 
• symbolic meaning of products, not what they mean

- 300 words how the article related to commercial visual communication.
- How will this affect your understanding of your target audience and ultimately your practical outcome?

The extract titled 'Identity and Consumption' by Catherine Jansson-Boyd, studies the relationship between consumerism and the way in which we perceive ourselves as individuals, which in turn informs the products and services that we buy. Products and services can relate to the identities of consumers in many different ways.

The things we buy as individuals act as a message to others around us a form of ‘social comparison’ allowing us to showcase who we are to the world and enabling others to form an opinion of us. This, in turn, may lead to certain like-minded individuals establishing a connection with us whether this be a friendship group or partner.

We compare ourselves to others in many different ways to establish social groups and to identify where we stand in the world amongst others. This can be done in the form of upward comparison, downward social comparison, object perception and so on.  Human beings are social individuals and enjoy the sense of belonging to a community or group, which in turn boosts confidence and reinforces positive self-esteem.

The article relates to visual communication as for a product to be desirable it needs to stand for something or have a story behind it. Without this the product or service won't add anything to the identity of the individual buying it. Advertisements, and promotions are essential in the success of a product as these are what create the symbolic meaning behind it. 

The article relates to my issue as the way a piece of packaging looks or it’s ‘form’ is a fundamental part of what attracts us to consuming a product. By purchasing an item, we are creating an extension of ourselves to showcase to the rest of the world. (Jansson-Boyd, C 2010: 57)

When designing my practical piece of work I will consider the ways in which I want to market my product and the techniques I will use to persuade my target audience to buy the product so they see it as an extension of themselves.