7 Pages
1867 Words
Introduction - A Cultural Perspective on Marketing
The personal care brand Dove has a reputation for encouraging reasonable notions of attractiveness. It received praise for initiatives like #RealBeauty that upended conventions in the business and promoted a positive view of one's body. Dove's #NoDigitalDistortion campaign, which focuses on consumer culture and the impact of standards for beauty on society, is in line with a cultural point of view on marketing. Within the arena of marketing, the use of customer identity theory offers a persuasive viewpoint for examining (Lies, 2019). The marketing event that is being examined is the current rebranding approach that an international technology business used. The Endeavour by the corporation to recast its image with the goal to better match it with modern cultural norms and societal changes is the main take away from this Dove #NoDigitalDistortion. According to consumer identity theory, people express who they are and the way they feel about themselves via the things they buy.
The announcement is essentially about the firm realizing that its brand image needs to change to reflect the changing cultural context. Re branding is more than just changing taglines and logos; it's an intentional attempt to reflect the goals and values of the target demographic and build a deeper psychological bond. The company's dedication to ethical behavior, sustainability and diversity is highlighted in the rebranding effort, which reflects the rising significance of these principles in modern culture (Kumar, et. al, 2020). By doing this, the company hopes to project an image of social awareness and conform to cultural standards and customer expectations.
Determining the manner in which individuals interpret and integrate the new brand into their sense of self is made possible by the use of consumer identity theory. Customers that connect with the emphasized ideals are likely to become more committed and by connecting with these customers' cultural identities, the business hopes to draw in new markets. Consumer identity theory, depending on a particular culture perspective, offers a sophisticated explanation of the current branding phenomena in the technology sector.
Dove's Authentic Beauty Campaign and Consumer Identity
As a case study, Dove acknowledges the societal trend to accepting a variety of authentic and different portrayals of beauty, according to customer identity theory. The ad appeals to consumers who want to support companies who adhere to their values and work to improve society. Dove fosters a feeling of community and shared values by encouraging customers to connect with the company as a champion for genuine beauty standards through its advertising of unmodified imagery.
Understand Dove's #NoDigitalDistortion campaign needs a grasp of consumer identity theory. This theory examines the ways in which customers create their identities through brands. As a supporter of good looks and acceptance of oneself in the face of social beauty standards, Dove's campaign enables customers to determine with the company and with the movement for culture towards authenticity. A crucial foundation for understanding the recent marketing phenomena including the extensive rebranding of a global technology company is offered by customer identity theory. This idea emphasizes that customers create their identities via their purchasing decisions, creating a strong bond between brand loyalty and self-image, and it fits into the larger cultural perceptions on marketing (Kalaignanam, et. al. 2021). The Dove #NoDigitalDistortion main takeaway involves the technology company's purposeful rebranding, that signifies a significant change in how it wants to be seen by customers. It makes the argument that individuals confirm and transmit their identities through brands, which they employ as interpretive instruments. One may examine well the rebranding organize fits with the target the viewer's self-concept by using Customer Identity Theory (Ma, et. al. 2021). The firm wants to create a story that connects with its customers' identities by positioning the company as a mirror of their opinions, lives, and goals.
For instance, the brand's presentation of unaltered beauty and rejection of electronic distortions are among the components in the Dove. Assumptions include customers looking for connections with companies that share their values and cultivate a feeling of identity and community by adhering to the same criteria of true beauty. Based to the Consumer Identity Theory, people build their identities via the companies and goods they buy and use. It is believed that consumption is a way for someone to convey and validate their sense of self. It is believed that brands are symbolic objects with deeper connotations than their practical characteristics (Nguyen and Pervan, 2020). Customers select brands that reflect their ideals and self-image, and these selections act as symbols that convey elements of their personality to both them and other individuals.
Brands, Identity, and Cultural Dynamics
The strategy recognizes the way cultural and social variables influence the formation of personality. It recognizes that consumer behavior shapes their self-concept through social conventions, current events, and group connections. The dynamic interaction between customers and brands is highlighted by consumer identity theory. It implies that people develop strong emotional bonds with brands that are consistent with whom they are, which fosters brand loyalty and favorable connotations. According to the notion, customers are driven by a need for their self-image and their perception that the brands they select to convey to be consistent.
Dove's #NoDigitalDistortion campaign, which opposes digital alteration and reflects customer need for real beauty portrayal, is in line with consumer identity theory. The announcement highlights Dove's contribution to promoting a feeling of belonging and identity via a dedication to acceptable standards of beauty and demonstrates customers' propensity to associate with companies that reflect their beliefs. The aspects and principles that consumer identity theory offer significant perspectives regarding the processes in the workplace within the framework of the multinational technology company's recent rebranding. The business's attempts to rethink its brand image are indicative of an evolution to the way it wants to be seen by customers, and here is where the sense of self and identity formation factor comes into play (Kettle, 2019). In addition to being a visual makeover, the rebranding is a calculated attempt to bring the company into line with modern cultural norms, taking into account the notion that customers employ brands as a means of self-expression. The procedure of rebranding makes the symbolic significance of brands clear. To effectively communicate a certain set of beliefs and traits, an organization chooses its symbols, logos, or message. This is consistent with the notion that consumers choose brands that are consistent with their idealized self-concept and principles.
The rebranding indicates a grasp of changing cultural narratives, which implies social and cultural factors have to work. The firm is recognizing the impact of cultural developments on customer views and adjusting its brand to reflect these larger societal transformations. The company's goal of developing a brand reputation that engenders strong emotional ties to consumers makes the Dove #NoDigitalDistortion consistent with the theory's emphasis on the connection between customers and brands.
Dove's #NoDigitalDistortion ad makes sense when considering consumer identity theory, which makes clear that customers utilize brands to represent oneself. Dove emphasizes its role in creating society notions of beauty via honest and relevant representations, which resonates with consumers' need for sincerity and helps the brand become more recognizable. The current marketing Dove #NoDigitalDistortion concerning the multinational technology business's extensive makeover is best explained by the Consumer Identity Theory. The idea offers a prism through which one may see the rebranding initiatives' strategic objectives and the anticipated impacts upon consumer behavior's and attitudes. The theory plays a crucial role in explaining the rebranding fundamental logic (Appel, et. al. 2020). The company's choice to rebrand itself is consistent with the core tenet of customer identity theory, which argues that people create and display their sense of self via brands. The data implies that the business has an understanding of the way the cultural environment is shifting and is working to change its image to better reflect its objectives and core beliefs of the market it is targeting. According to consumer identity theory, a key factor throughout the rebranding process is the symbolic significance associated with brands.
Managers should take into consideration a number of strategic recommendations after reviewing the global technological business's branding research using the perspective of consumer identity theory. First and foremost, it is essential to have a deep comprehension of both the target audience's ideals and the dynamic context of culture. This means that in order to understand the symbolic components that are important to customers, in-depth consumer study is required (Jin, Muqaddam and Ryu, 2019). Effective branding initiatives will be based on these insights, guaranteeing that any attempts at rebranding truly connect with the identities and goals of the target demographic.
Campaigns for interaction branding are an additional tactical option. Efforts that allow customers to actively participate in developing the story of the brand should be taken into consideration by managers. Consumers' feeling of ownership may be increased through content created by users, social media relationships, and other compelling tactics, which will help them develop a deeper and more enduring bond with their rebranded brand (Rokka, 2021). Managers should be ready for ongoing changes since they understand how changing customer identities may be. To ensure that the company stays relevant throughout time, this means staying aware of how customer opinions and cultural narratives are changing.
References
Books and Journals
- Appel, G., Grewal, L., Hadi, R. and Stephen, A.T., 2020. The future of social media in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing science, 48(1), pp.79-95.
- Jin, S.V., Muqaddam, A. and Ryu, E., 2019. Instafamous and social media influencer marketing. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 37(5), pp.567-579.
- Kalaignanam, K., Tuli, K.R., Kushwaha, T., Lee, L. and Gal, D., 2021. Marketing agility: The concept, antecedents, and a research agenda. Journal of Marketing, 85(1), pp.35-58.
- Kettle, K.L., 2019. Identity salience: understanding when identity affects consumption. Handbook of research on identity theory in marketing, pp.30-43.
- Kumar, A., Paul, J. and Unnithan, A.B., 2020. ‘Masstige’marketing: A review, synthesis and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 113, pp.384-398.
- Lies, J., 2019. Marketing intelligence and big data: Digital marketing techniques on their way to becoming social engineering techniques in marketing.
- Ma, R., Cherian, J., Tsai, W.H., Sial, M.S., Hou, L. and Álvarez-Otero, S., 2021. The relationship of corporate social responsibility on digital platforms, electronic word-of-mouth, and consumer-company identification: An application of social identity theory. Sustainability, 13(9), p.4700.
- Nguyen, N. and Pervan, S., 2020. Retailer corporate social responsibility and consumer citizenship behavior: The mediating roles of perceived consumer effectiveness and consumer trust. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 55, p.102082.
- Rokka, J., 2021. Consumer Culture Theory’s future in marketing. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 29(1), pp.114-124.
