Brand and Consumer Relationship: a Sociological View

The study aims to provide a conceptual framework or model to extend knowledge concerning brand-consumer relations where consumers are both individuals and members of social groups. The object is to contribute to the studies on consumer-brand relations concentrating on the function a brand can have in the context of an individual’s socializing habits underpinned by theories of social psychology, sociology and North European and latin/Mediterranean marketing studies. Considerations start from the premise that individuals, by nature, tend both to develop, with brand, an exchange and communal relationship (Aggarwall and Law, 2005). The individual, through these relationships, tends to develop their identity/self concept and to identify themselves socially in groups (Turker, 1957; Turner, 1982; Schlenker, 1986; Brewer and Gardner, 1996). These trends have recently generated, new social taxonomies, new forms of social life, in which a propensity emerges for “ the community” in which strong sentiments towards firms/brands and consumption become factors of aggregation. Many scholars define these phenomena as communities of emotions (Bauman, 2001; Fabris, 2008; Maffesoli, 2004). On these grounds, firms tend to adapt their marketing and communication strategies and tactics, finalizing their behaviour to supporting individuals in their social contextualizing. The clear expression of this tendency is to be found in the modern symbolic representation of products which in recent years, has surrendered to the wider and deeper concept of humanizing symbols, to the extent of acknowledging the brand with a soul, a character and a personality thanks to which values can be evoked and life styles in which the consumer recognizes himself and thanks to which he identifies himself socially. In this respect, Fournier considers the brand: “… not as passive object of marketing transactions, but as an active, contributing member of the relationship dyad… One way to legitimize the brand-as-partner is to highlight ways in which brands are animated, humanized, or somehow personalized….” (Fournier, 1998, p 344) The paper aims furthermore, to represent the evolving scenario of consumer and firm relations, and the social process that consumers, thanks to the firm/brand, tend to set in motion. This conceptualization will be undertaken taking into account the social conditions that individuals/consumers avail themselves of and the marketing and communication efforts that firms put in place to sustain the sociality of their customers.