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Brand personification and symbolic consumption among ethnic minority teenage consumers: An empirical study

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Abstract

A plethora of evidence suggests that developed societies such as the United Kingdom are becoming increasingly multicultural by the day. Hence, the diversity of consumption in these societies becomes gradually evident in the form of residents’ age, gender, income and ethnicity. Accordingly, this article explores the brand personification and symbolic consumption in respect of London-based Black African teenage consumers. The study is rooted in the interpretive research paradigm with 36 in-depth interviews conducted with the target respondents. The study shows the interactions of personal, social, cultural, psychological and commercial factors in how these young ethnic minority consumers make their consumption decisions, define and manage their various ‘selves’ in the postmodern society. It specifically highlights that they use symbolic consumption to address their need for acceptance in the society. It updates the extant ethnic minority studies and enriches the current understanding about symbolic consumption and brand personification especially with a focus on a specific segment of the society. The managerial implications of the study are highlighted in the article.

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  1. School of Business and Law, University of East London, Stratford, E15 4LZ, UK

    Ayantunji Gbadamosi

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1(Bsc (Hons), Msc, PhD, FCIM, FHEA) is the Co-Leader for Research and Knowledge Exchange in the School of Business and Law of the University of East London, UK. His research interests focus on SME Marketing, Consumer Behaviour, Marketing to Children and Marketing Communications. He has published in all these research areas in the form of peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, edited books, monograph and book chapters. He is listed in Who is Who in the World.

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Gbadamosi, A. Brand personification and symbolic consumption among ethnic minority teenage consumers: An empirical study. J Brand Manag 22, 737–754 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2015.40

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