The power of self-identity and reference groups

Everyone has a self-identity it is what defines us, the characteristics that give us individuality, and how we perceive ourselves. Some have more radical views on expressing their individuality and identity, while some keep their individual characteristics more private and fit in with the mainstream population. Regardless, everyone needs a sense of belonging, a social role to play in order for their identities to be accepted. Reference groups are what provide us with a frame of reference for our perceptions and evaluations of our "self." Whether you are a hippie, hipster, jock, ski bum, parent, affluent professional, artist, philanthropist, student etc.; we all have reference groups we consciously or subconsciously use to help create the ideas of our self. It gives us a benchmark on our behaviors, views, and appearance. This has a powerful impact on our consumption decisions whether we like to admit it or not.

Everyone has those genetically instilled traits such as leadership, courage, intelligence, honesty, hardworking etc. These traits are with you from birth and are difficult to change or be learned. However, it is the characteristics that you perceive to be a part of your identity that truly influence your behaviors and decisions. People look for characteristics that associate them with a particular group or social role. Many companies have used this knowledge to create brand personalities and images to appeal to the characteristics of cultural associations and reference groups. Some companies have gone as far as creating reference groups within their brand such as Harley Davidson and Apple. These companies figure out the associations users make with their brands and use them in their marketing campaigns. Once a brand is able to penetrate reference groups or become affiliated with a social role they gain a lot of market power. Once a brand has developed associated personality characteristics it is very easy to sell their product to consumer's who desire that kind of identity.

The characteristics you want to be associated with can continue to change as you enter new chapters in your life or they can stay relatively the same. Think about your social role in high school and how that affected your consumption decisions and the brands you preferred. For me I played a lot of competitive sports. I used to consume a ton of Gatorade because I thought that's what athletes should drink, and only bought Nike shoes. Now I hardly ever drink Gatorade because I know it's filled with sugary additives and is unnecessary in my daily life. I also haven't purchased a single pair of Nike shoes because I can find more practical and a better fit shoe for much less. But in high school that's what my teammates consumed and therefore I felt I needed to do the same in order to be seen as a athlete. During the winter time in high school all the "popular" girls would wear North Face fleeces and Ugg boots. Not because they were the best products, but because that's what the girl population deemed fashionable winter attire. Any no name brand fleece will keep you warm and a pair of muck boots will keep your feet much more dry. These were purchases made solely on the notion of what was socially accepted. The guys on the other hand all wore the classic timberland boots with blue jeans and a sweat shirt. These boots weren't durable, water-proof, or of any quality other than fashionable. I was one of the many to purchase these "cool" boots and they lasted me a total of six months before I wore completely through the sole. By far the worst pair of boots I have owned, but they served their purpose in school. These brands are all example of how social roles and reference groups influence our decisions. Some of these brands lured us in with their brand personalities and others just reaped the benefits of being in the right place at the right time.

Now think about the different social influences you are affected by in college, internships, careers and lifestyles. At least for me my social role and reference groups I associate with have completely changed. Your social identity is always changing and building upon itself and it is important to recognize this and think about your consumption decisions further than what you believe is socially acceptable. The message I want to get across is those genetically instilled, intangible traits of yours  make up much more of your identity than the perceived characteristics you desire. Although I continue to be susceptible to desired characteristics and brand personality influences, I can recognize these impulses and control my purchasing decisions better for what suits me.