When discussing brands & self-concept in class, I realized that my outfit was heavily branded today. I tend not to wear brands too often, not as a statement, but simply because I’m usually more drawn to basic v-necks and band shirts, and I’ll take any pair of jeans that I can fit perfectly into.
However, today I was wearing a DC Hoodie, Element Jeans, and Vans sneakers. They’re all lifestyle brands that you would assume display my self-concept as they all fit into the same “extreme sports/adventure” lifestyle. The funny things is…that doesn’t explain me at all. Despite being incapable of skateboarding and never having touched a mountain bike, I have somehow become part of the group that this company represents.
I’ve come up with three hypotheses!
1) I see myself as spontaneous and adventurous, so even if I don’t associate with the extreme sporting lifestyle, I still associate with the excitement that the brands offer.
2) When I was about 13, I was very into punk and underground culture, which lead me to discover the Vans Warped Tour (which I now consider nowhere near punk or underground, but that story is for another time). Despite never actually having the chance to attend the Vans Warped Tour, I still began to associate the brand with my interests and favourite bands. Despite DC and Element not being directly related to these interests, I was still drawn to them because they fall into the same lifestyle category as VANS.
3) These brands are developed for people with crazy lifestyles who are constantly “on the go”. I’m not the type to spend too much time getting dressed in the morning, so I relate to these brands and how convenient & basic their pieces are.
The funny thing is, I could go on brainstorming hypotheses all day. For awhile, I haven’t been able to figure out why I love these brands so much, and it’s myself we’re talking about. How then, can we as marketers find ways to figure out why CUSTOMERS choose our brand?
