Working consumers: Co-creation of brand identity, consumer identity and brand community identity

Citation

Black I & Veloutsou C (2017) Working consumers: Co-creation of brand identity, consumer identity and brand community identity. Journal of Business Research, 70, p. 416–429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.07.012

Abstract
The creation of identity, in terms of both consumer identity and brand identity, is a core topic in marketing theory. Based on participant ethnography of Yes Edinburgh North & Leith, part of Yes Scotland, the national referendum campaign supporting Scottish independence, this paper explores identity co-creation among three entities: the brand, the individual consumer, and the brand community. The findings suggest that the interactions among these entities co-create their identity, primarily through the actions of highly motivated working consumers. This paper identifies the main dialectic relationships and shows how the effects move beyond the dyads to affect the other entities, including the symbols used in the process of co-creation. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for brands, individual consumers, and brand communities.

Keywords
Brand co-creation; Brand identity; Consumer identity; Brand community identity; Working consumers; Political marketing

Journal
Journal of Business Research: Volume 70

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