Self-concept can be described as a collection of feelings and thoughts that an individual refers to himself. Salimi and Khanlari (2018, p. 2) have defined self-concept as “the cognitive and affective understanding of who and what we are”. Consequently, marketing professionals tried to extrapolate human characteristics on brands in the hope that people would prefer products mentally “close” to them. In theory, purchasing a product with a similar personality should create a spiritual connection and satisfy the customer. A satisfied customer would eventually become loyal to the brand, which is good for the company.
In my opinion, this psychological connection between living humans and brands is an overstretch that borders fetishism. According to Dvornechuk (2019), Apple has an unpretentious, irreverent, but also sophisticated personality. I have been using Apple products for some time but never attributed these traits to myself. I keep on choosing Apple for its attractive design and technical functionality, not because their gadgets somehow make me sophisticated or put me above the others. I also reckon that tying human identity to brands is deprecating towards humanity. Overall, I have not found any connection between implied brand personality and personal self-concept.
Reference List
Dvornechuk, A. Brand personality: Traits of top brands (2019) Web.
Salimi, M. and Khanlari, A. (2018). ‘Congruence between self-concept and brand personality, its effect on brand emotional attachment’. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 22(4), pp. 1–21.