THE EVOLUTION OF CONSUMER-BRAND

RELATIONSHIPS AT TEENAGE

– SURVIVING THE SOCIAL PRESSURE

Samil Aledin, D.Sc.

Turku School of Economics

University of Turku

FINLAND

The next 19 minutes

Purpose

Conceptual

foundation

Approach

Findings: Six evolution

types of CBR

Reflections on

adolescent development

Value to practitioners:

Survivor brand

Consumer-brand relationships constitute a process phenomenon.

An account of the evolution of teenagers’ brand relationships from the early teenage years

at

junior high school until the end of high school.

Adolescent development affect not only the individuals concerned, but also their brand

relationships.

Objectives:

To identify and trace the evolution of teenager-brand relationships.

Six empirical trajectory types are presented.

To shed light on the critical features underlying the dynamics of teenager-brand

relationships.

The trajectories are discussed in the light of adolescent psycho-social development.

Purpose

Fournier’s (1998) typologies of brand relationship forms and development trajectories.

Theories of adolescent development by Erikson (1963) and Kegan (1982).

Conceptual foundation

Early Mid Late

”Identity vs. Role confusion” by Erik Erikson (”Stages of Man”)

”Affiliation vs. abandonment” by Robert Kegan (”Natural emergencies of

the self ”)

14-15 17-1813 19

Identity-related tasks of adolescence in general sense.

Identity is based on psychosocial reciprocity and acquired through sustained individual effort; Who am I?

Adolescents free themselves from dependency on parents and peers in order to attain a mature identity.

Fidelity is the essence of identity; Commitment to some ideological world view -> Psychosocial

moratorium (end of adolescence); established fixed self-definition.

Relationships and self: Relationship are not a subject, but an object to the self -> Self owns oneself; it is not

made

of pieces owned by various shared contexts.

Unwillingness to work on one’s identity -> Role diffusion, sense of isolation and confusion.

Connection, highly invested mutuality; Identity concern: Being liked and accepted by the group OR left behind by the

group.

Group acceptance is essential for the process of one’s identity formation; early adolescent friendship -> self-

esteem

Relationships and self: An interpersonal self ; One does not have one’s interpersonal relationships-> the self is its

relationships (I am my relationships vs. I have relationships in mid-to-late adolescence).

Vulnerability to attitudes within the immediate social context.

ApproachData collection

A qualitative study comprising four personal semi-structured interviews.

The same interviewees as six years ago (aged of 13-14), now aged 19-20; “Aida”, “Laura”, “Celine” and

“Daniel”

Story of the teenage.

(Hi)stories of your brands from early to late adolescence.

“My favourite brands” – collages from the earlier study - and a list of these early teenage

brand favourites were used as stimuli in the interviews.

35 brand relationships.

Data analysis

The study is explorative and descriptive.

Hermeneutic approach (e.g., Thompson 1997).

Two types of analysis:

Idiographic: Personal brand-relationship trajectories were reflected in the “teenage stories” of each

participant.

Cross-case analysis was used to identify common patterns, and to provide a structure that would

enhance

understanding of the trajectories and their phases.

Evolutionary

brand stories

The story of

teenage

Six evolution types of CBR – UNTOUCHABLE

E = Elementary school

G = High school graduation

J = Junior high school

H= High school

GRADES on X-axis, CLOSENESS on Y-axis

J7 J8 J9 H11H10

G

E H12

A brand relationship that is protected from the threats

during adolescence and stays stable.

Untouchables are grounded in...

functional excellence

great significance to the user

great contextual coverage throughout the teenage

patriotic motives may provide the ultimate protection.

Supporting “a brand from a fatherland”; Nokia vs.

iPhone.

SOME UNTOUCHABLES

Laura & Lumene: ” Lumene is a Finnish make-up brand with a

good price/quality ratio. My mom uses it. I’ve always used Lumene

make-up cream, unlike my friends at junior high who paid extra

money for foreign brands and tried to persuade me to make the

change. But light structure and colors by Lumene matches the way

I want to look. I even asked my mom to send me it to Switzerland

when I was as an exchange student. I still enjoy Lumene’s natural

look that has certain boundaries and is not outrageous.”

Adidas Copa Mundial & Daniel: ” Although I use a lot of Nike

products (shirts, shoes etc.) Adidas Copa Mundial has been and

still is my choice for a soccer boot. I know there are other nice

soccer boots, but Adidas Copa Mundial just fits my feet perfectly

and is really comfortable. It is a shoe with a long history and I

have a lot great experiences with it.”

Aida & Battery: ” Drinking Battery was considered very cool at junior

high, so I started to drink it. It cost 1€ more than other drinks in the

school vending machine. Back at junior high it was not for the taste

of it, but at high school I learned to like the unique taste and

appreciate the exhilarating effect of caffeine during tiring school days.

Today, I drink Battery as a mixer in drinks when I visit pubs and

clubs.”

A brand relationship in which a close and ego-

significant brand turns into a brand among others

by the end of junior high.

Characteristic of relationships with designer

brands (Tommy Hilfiger, Louis Vuitton), which no

longer make the user feel special in the

absence

of admiration from peers.

Also a long common history may result in

feelings

of conventionality.

Six evolution types of CBR – DECLINING IDENTITY-CREATOR

J7 J8 J9 H11H10

G

E H12

A DECLINING IDENTITY-CREATOR

Celine & Louis Vuitton: ” I got acquainted with Louis Vuitton

(LV) at 7th grade through TV-series and foreign fashion

magazines. That year my mom bought my first LV from Paris; it

was amazing, it lifted me up to a higher ground. My friends at

school kept wowing and wondering how I had such a

prestigious item. The ecstasy lasted all the way to the end of

junior high. At high school, LV no longer interested people, who

were like ”yeah, whatever”. It had turned into a casual thing,

and at the end of the day it was just a brand, nothing bigger

than life. Nowadays, I appreciate LV’s classic design,

stylishness and good quality.

A short, intense and time-bounded relationship with a

peer-favoured brand in early teenage.

Takes place at seventh and eighth grade at junior high

Characteristic to designer brands; symbolic brands with

social status

Terminated when the courage to be oneself starts to

develop at the beginning of 9th

Six evolution types of CBR – IDENTITY FIRST-AID

J7 J8 J9 H11H10

G

E H12

SOME IDENTITY FIRST-AIDS

Laura & Longchamp: ” Longchamp bags were such

a cool thing in the beginning of junior high. We were

the ”Longchamp girls” and felt superior to others.

Only outsiders did not have one. This era took an

end when some of the girls had the courage to

replace Longchamp with another brand at the end of

9th grade. Also our group dispersed back then and

there was no need for a common thing any longer.

Today, I just laugh to this period; it is so junior high

and so much behind me. I sometimes use

Longchamp bags when I visit my father at weekends,

they are big enough for my things.

A brand relationships in which a long-term brand is

abandoned for a determined period of time, and re-

adopted at the end of junior high.

Under peer pressure teenagers allow their close

brands to fall into lethargy, particularly during the

first two years at junior high school.

Usually brands close to the family.

Six evolution types of CBR – RECOVERED

J

7

J8 J9 H11H10

G

E H12

BRAND LETHARGY = A stage at

teenager-brand relationship

during which own personal

favorite brand is replaced by the

brands of peers for a determinate

period of time.

A RECOVERED

Celine & Zara: ”I’ve liked Zara ever since I

was a child. I wanted look like the kids in their

ads. Zara has always been in my life, but at

junior high I stopped using it. Most of my

friends used colorful designer brands and I

started to do the same. I still followed their

clothing lines, but I did not buy their clothes.

Since the beginning of high school I started

use Zara again. They match my style and

they are exactly the kind of clothes I use;

basic clothes in basic colors (blue, white,

beige) with small special details.”

A brand relationship in which a brand develops from a

“normal” everyday brand to a close and ego-significant

brand during high school.

Typically, fashion brands (e.g., H&M) that are affordable

to

most teenagers.

As the social pressure to use designer brands

decreases

towards the end of junior high, more affordable brands

gradually become essential building blocks of personal

style.

Six evolution types of CBR – LATE UPGRADE

J7 J8 J9 H11H10

G

E H12

A LATE UPGRADE

Aida & H&M: ”I’ve always found H&M

clothes nice-looking. At junior high,

nobody wanted to admit wearing them,

but everybody did. They were

inexpensive and lacked status value. I

was labelled an H&M girl at junior high,

which was a bad thing. But later, at high

school it was okey to come out of the

closet with H&M. Ever since It has been

a revevant building block of my personal

style from the beginning of high school;

they have both affordable everyday

clothes and party dresses.”

A long-term relationship with a parent-preferred brand

is terminated and replaced with an equivalent brand

preferred by peers.

Clothing brand worn ever since childhood.

Everyday brands replaced one another, H&M for

Benetton, for example.

In the example, the change took place at the end of

junior high or at high school, when a teenager

wanted

dissociate herself from her mother.

Six evolution types of CBR – NEST ABANDONMENT

J7 J8 J9 H11H10

G

E H12

SOME DECLINING IDENTITY-CREATORS

Laura & Benetton: ” United colors of

Benetton is my mother’s favorite brand.

She has dressed me up in Benetton

ever since I was a baby. At junior high

Benetton stood for my basic clothing;

tops, shirts and t-shirts. Personally, I

was not that attached to the brand, but

I liked it because my mom liked it.

However, things got changed at the

end of junior high. Although I did not

find anything wrong with Benetton, I

started prefer a less expensive H&H as

my “casual brand”, just like my friends.

My mom gave in and stopped buying

me Benetton. Today, I do not buy

Benetton, but prefer H&M or Mango.”

Reflections on theory – How does adolescent development affect consumer–

brand

relationships? 7 propositions

FOR THE ULTIMATE ACCEPTANCE AND HIGHER SELF-

ESTEEM

A long term close brand is abandoned under social pressure for a

determinate period of time (brand lethargy) -> Recovereds

Short and intense relationships with peer-favoured brands of minor

personal significance are created for a determinate period of time -

> Identity-first-aids (”Peer-pressured flings”)

The status aspect of luxury brand relationships is at its peak, as self

is made of pieces owned by various shared contexts (Declining

identity-creators, Identity first-aids)

AN EXPERIMENTATION WITH A WORKABLE IDENTITY IS IN PROGRESS

As the self-definition proceeds:

a) Adolescents dare to have a close relationships with inexpensive everyday

brands; a courage to ”be me” & own judgements prevail social pressure -> Late

upgrade

b) Peer-pressured brand relationhips are terminated (Identity first-aids)

Ego-significant brands can be downgraded into everyday brands as a result of

decreased peer admiration and a long mutual history -> Declining identity-

creator

Long term relationships with parent’s close brands are terminated as adolescents

move from parent to peer identification. -> Relationships with peer-favoured

equivalents are created -> Nest abandonment

TOWARDS THE PSYCHOSOCIAL MORATORIUM

AFFILIATION VS. ABANDONMENT

IDENTITY VS. IDENTITY

CONFUSION

”At the end of

junior high I

realized that it

was absurd to

try to look like

others, it just

was not me.”

Aida, 19 years

J7J8J9 H11H10G

E H12J7J8J9H11H10G

E H12J

7

J8J9H11H10G

E H12

J7J8J9 H11H10G

E H12J7J8J9 H11H10G

E H12J7J8J9H11H10G

E H12UNTOUCHABLES DECL. IDENTITY

C.

RECOVEREDS LATE

UPGRADES

NEST

ABANDONMENT

IDENTITY F-A

Value to practitioners - How can a brand survive (the social pressure at )

teenage?

Survivor

brand

Ego- and

family

significanc

e

Functional

excellence

Wide and

dynamic

contextual

coverage

Consumer

investment-

partnership