1st Annual International Conference on Social Sciences, İstanbul, Türkiye, 21 - 23 Mayıs 2015, ss.492-503
Brands function as insignia for individuals to express their social identity in and
through their consumption preferences. Strong brands are endowed with salient
symbolic meanings, which attract consumers in order to satisfy their social
desirability and acceptance needs by the possessions of these brands. Based on the
“Social Identity Theory” and the “Theory of Reasoned Action”, a conceptual
model was tested to examine the role of social identity effects and self-brand
connections on consumers’ decision process. Hypotheses were analyzed with a
structural model on a sample of smart-phone users. Results indicate significant
influences of the brand’s symbolic perceptions on the consumers’ brand purchase
intentions which are mediated through self-brand connections and attitudes towards
the brand. Findings and limitations of the study are discussed in terms of the theoretical and practical implications for consumer behavior literature and
marketing implications.