Study Task 06 - Consumer Identities

Jansson-Boyd, Catherine V. (2010) Consumer Psychology

Key points 

We judge others by their material possessions, meaning that consumption is now an important part in the creation and maintenance of identities.

Identity is the subjective concept of how an individual views themselves that is influenced by individual experiences, and groups to which we belong or wish to belong to

The impact of who we are upon the way in which we behave has been suggested to be largely unconscious, meaning that consumers may not be aware if their self-concept guides their consumer behaviour. 

Identities are multi dimensional because of the complex relationship between personal characteristics such as political beliefs, religious beliefs, physical appearance, group memberships, material possessions and age, that are used describe themselves. 

Humans use a categorisation and comparison process to figure themselves out as individuals. To know where they stand in relation to what they represent and who they are. 

The perception of others (person perception) is often affected by peoples material possessions. 

Classification of objects (object perception) can be influenced by marketing and advertising.

We tend to focus on the group people belong to and the type of possessions stand for rather than as individuals in their own right. 

People have a clear stereotypical concept of what kind of person would be a particular product, meaning that we can make use of those concepts to accurately categorise others. 

The continuous comparison to others is driven by a need to maintain and sometimes increase positive self esteem, which is linked to feelings of belongingness, which is supported by being a member of groups.

From a consumer perspective, purchasing the right kind of products and services can make them feel as if they belong to certain groups as well as genuinely providing group membership.

Jansson-Boyd states two different social comparisons, downward and upward. Downward social comparisons are comparison made to those who do less well in order to make us look better. An Upward Social comparison is when consumers measure themselves against 'ideal' media images. 

Categorising people through material possessions highlights how different good and services represent values and beliefs in which people can associate themselves to.

People view themselves from the perspectives of others.

Humans are exposed to symbolic values of products and services through the media and social interaction from childhood to late adulthood. 

Summary

The passive experience of viewing art has little link to materialistic qualities. However an art gallery's identity is important in attracting their audience and setting itself apart from the competition, "the need for museums to compete more vigorously for their audience's time has led to more defined identities." (Williams, 2011) A successful brand is able to effectively communicate certain ideals that appeal directly to which its intended audience associate themselves with. An effective identity will produce a positive experience for its audience and thus form a relationship between the two, with the viewer seeing a reflection of what they perceive to be their identity in the branding. This relationship builds a level of brand loyalty that will keep people visiting the gallery/museum, "The continuous comparison to others is driven by a need to maintain and sometimes increase positive self esteem, which is linked to feelings of belongingness, which is supported by being a member of groups." (Jansson-Boyd, 2010) Therefore an effective identity will allow the audience to feel part of the gallery's community and be recognised as such, thus producing positive self-esteem for the visitor and a positive image onto others. 

But not only does the identity have to work in the public space, it has to communicate its brand through digital platforms as well. “In the digital age, museums are no longer limited to the physical experience of the galleries, and face a rapidly expanding horizon of media opportunities and programming initiatives,” says Guggenheim’s managing director of business development, Karen Meyerhoff. Therefore the proposed rebrand of Leeds Art Gallery for the practical area of the essay has to work on digital platforms as well. This will help create a unified brand identity across all the platforms the gallery is promoted on, further emphasising the gallery's identity onto the viewer. Tate Modern's identity by Wolf Olins is an example of this. "Designed by Wolff Olins, the identity was intended to signal the arrival of Tate Modern, and in turn unify it and the various other Tate sites (Tate Britain, Liverpool and St Ives) under one distinctive look." (Williams, 2011) The impact of this must not be overlooked as the "Tate Modern had a seismic effect on the London art scene, with the landmark building alone proving a major draw. Combined with an engaging programme of exhibitions and events, the museum is now one of the most popular attractions in the city." 

(Williams, 2011)

However, an identity alone may not be the most effective way in communicating the gallery's qualities. As Matthew Slotover, co-owner of Frieze and Amanda Sharp explain, "a brand for a gallery can also be more effective than the actual identity. I think the graphic identity is a different thing from the brand, which I see as the name. I think what a brand stands for and how people feel about it is much bigger than the logo." This could be a possible area to explore for the redesign of Leeds Art Gallery. To hopefully create an association to the title "Leeds Art Gallery" that attracts more renowned artists and curation in order for the public to take the gallery seriously as a curator of contemporary art. 

Williams, E. (2017). Branding the art world - Creative Review. [online] Creative Review. Available at: https://www.creativereview.co.uk/branding-the-art-world/ [Accessed 5 Dec. 2016].

Jansson-Boyd, C. (2010). Consumer psychology. 1st ed. Open University Press.