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

Black, I. and Veloutsou, C. (2017) Working consumers: co-creation of brand identity, consumer identity and brand community identity. Journal of Business Research, 70, pp. 416-429. (doi: 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.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Veloutsou, Professor Cleopatra
• Authors: Black, I., and Veloutsou, C.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
• Journal Name: Journal of Business Research
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0148-2963
• ISSN (Online): 1873-7978
• Published Online: 09 September 2016
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc.
• First Published: First published in Journal of Business Research 70:416-429
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher