Presentation given at the 1st International Consumer Brand Relationships Conference, www.consumer-brand-relationships.org Copyright by Samil Aledin

1. THE EVOLUTION OF CONSUMER-BRAND
RELATIONSHIPS AT TEENAGE
– SURVIVING THE SOCIAL PRESSURE
Samil Aledin, D.Sc.
Turku School of Economics
University of Turku
FINLAND

2. The next 19 minutes
Purpose
Conceptual
foundation
Approach
Findings: Six evolution
types of CBR
Reflections on
adolescent development
Value to practitioners:
Survivor brand

3.  Consumer-brand relationships constitute a process phenomenon.
 An account of the evolution of teenagers’ brand relationships from the early teenage years
at
junior high school until the end of high school.
 Adolescent development affect not only the individuals concerned, but also their brand
relationships.
Objectives:
 To identify and trace the evolution of teenager-brand relationships.
Six empirical trajectory types are presented.
 To shed light on the critical features underlying the dynamics of teenager-brand
relationships.
 The trajectories are discussed in the light of adolescent psycho-social development.
Purpose

4.  Fournier’s (1998) typologies of brand relationship forms and development trajectories.
Theories of adolescent development by Erikson (1963) and Kegan (1982).
Conceptual foundation
Early Mid Late
”Identity vs. Role confusion” by Erik Erikson (”Stages of Man”)
”Affiliation vs. abandonment” by Robert Kegan (”Natural emergencies of
the self ”)
14-15 17-1813 19
 Identity-related tasks of adolescence in general sense.
 Identity is based on psychosocial reciprocity and acquired through sustained individual effort; Who am I?
 Adolescents free themselves from dependency on parents and peers in order to attain a mature identity.
 Fidelity is the essence of identity; Commitment to some ideological world view -> Psychosocial
moratorium (end of adolescence); established fixed self-definition.
 Relationships and self: Relationship are not a subject, but an object to the self -> Self owns oneself; it is not
made
of pieces owned by various shared contexts.
 Unwillingness to work on one’s identity -> Role diffusion, sense of isolation and confusion.
 Connection, highly invested mutuality; Identity concern: Being liked and accepted by the group OR left behind by the
group.
 Group acceptance is essential for the process of one’s identity formation; early adolescent friendship -> self-
esteem
 Relationships and self: An interpersonal self ; One does not have one’s interpersonal relationships-> the self is its
relationships (I am my relationships vs. I have relationships in mid-to-late adolescence).
Vulnerability to attitudes within the immediate social context.

5. Approach
Data collection
 A qualitative study comprising four personal semi-structured interviews.
 The same interviewees as six years ago (aged of 13-14), now aged 19-20; “Aida”, “Laura”, “Celine” and
“Daniel”
 Story of the teenage.
 (Hi)stories of your brands from early to late adolescence.
 “My favourite brands” – collages from the earlier study - and a list of these early teenage
brand favourites were used as stimuli in the interviews.
 35 brand relationships.
Data analysis
 The study is explorative and descriptive.
 Hermeneutic approach (e.g., Thompson 1997).
 Two types of analysis:
 Idiographic: Personal brand-relationship trajectories were reflected in the “teenage stories” of each
participant.
Cross-case analysis was used to identify common patterns, and to provide a structure that would
enhance
understanding of the trajectories and their phases.
Evolutionary
brand stories
The story of
teenage

6. Six evolution types of CBR – UNTOUCHABLE
E = Elementary school
G = High school graduation
J = Junior high school
H= High school
GRADES on X-axis, CLOSENESS on Y-axis
J7 J8 J9 H11H10
G
E H12
A brand relationship that is protected from the threats
during adolescence and stays stable.
Untouchables are grounded in...
 functional excellence
 great significance to the user
 great contextual coverage throughout the teenage
 patriotic motives may provide the ultimate protection.
Supporting “a brand from a fatherland”; Nokia vs.
iPhone.

7. SOME UNTOUCHABLES
Laura & Lumene: ” Lumene is a Finnish make-up brand with a
good price/quality ratio. My mom uses it. I’ve always used Lumene
make-up cream, unlike my friends at junior high who paid extra
money for foreign brands and tried to persuade me to make the
change. But light structure and colors by Lumene matches the way
I want to look. I even asked my mom to send me it to Switzerland
when I was as an exchange student. I still enjoy Lumene’s natural
look that has certain boundaries and is not outrageous.”
Adidas Copa Mundial & Daniel: ” Although I use a lot of Nike
products (shirts, shoes etc.) Adidas Copa Mundial has been and
still is my choice for a soccer boot. I know there are other nice
soccer boots, but Adidas Copa Mundial just fits my feet perfectly
and is really comfortable. It is a shoe with a long history and I
have a lot great experiences with it.”
Aida & Battery: ” Drinking Battery was considered very cool at junior
high, so I started to drink it. It cost 1€ more than other drinks in the
school vending machine. Back at junior high it was not for the taste
of it, but at high school I learned to like the unique taste and
appreciate the exhilarating effect of caffeine during tiring school days.
Today, I drink Battery as a mixer in drinks when I visit pubs and
clubs.”

8. A brand relationship in which a close and ego-
significant brand turns into a brand among others
by the end of junior high.
 Characteristic of relationships with designer
brands (Tommy Hilfiger, Louis Vuitton), which no
longer make the user feel special in the
absence
of admiration from peers.
 Also a long common history may result in
feelings
of conventionality.
Six evolution types of CBR – DECLINING IDENTITY-CREATOR
J7 J8 J9 H11H10
G
E H12

9. A DECLINING IDENTITY-CREATOR
Celine & Louis Vuitton: ” I got acquainted with Louis Vuitton
(LV) at 7th grade through TV-series and foreign fashion
magazines. That year my mom bought my first LV from Paris; it
was amazing, it lifted me up to a higher ground. My friends at
school kept wowing and wondering how I had such a
prestigious item. The ecstasy lasted all the way to the end of
junior high. At high school, LV no longer interested people, who
were like ”yeah, whatever”. It had turned into a casual thing,
and at the end of the day it was just a brand, nothing bigger
than life. Nowadays, I appreciate LV’s classic design,
stylishness and good quality.

10. A short, intense and time-bounded relationship with a
peer-favoured brand in early teenage.
 Takes place at seventh and eighth grade at junior high
 Characteristic to designer brands; symbolic brands with
social status
 Terminated when the courage to be oneself starts to
develop at the beginning of 9th
Six evolution types of CBR – IDENTITY FIRST-AID
J7 J8 J9 H11H10
G
E H12

11. SOME IDENTITY FIRST-AIDS
Laura & Longchamp: ” Longchamp bags were such
a cool thing in the beginning of junior high. We were
the ”Longchamp girls” and felt superior to others.
Only outsiders did not have one. This era took an
end when some of the girls had the courage to
replace Longchamp with another brand at the end of
9th grade. Also our group dispersed back then and
there was no need for a common thing any longer.
Today, I just laugh to this period; it is so junior high
and so much behind me. I sometimes use
Longchamp bags when I visit my father at weekends,
they are big enough for my things.

12. A brand relationships in which a long-term brand is
abandoned for a determined period of time, and re-
adopted at the end of junior high.
 Under peer pressure teenagers allow their close
brands to fall into lethargy, particularly during the
first two years at junior high school.
 Usually brands close to the family.
Six evolution types of CBR – RECOVERED
J
7
J8 J9 H11H10
G
E H12
BRAND LETHARGY = A stage at
teenager-brand relationship
during which own personal
favorite brand is replaced by the
brands of peers for a determinate
period of time.

13. A RECOVERED
Celine & Zara: ”I’ve liked Zara ever since I
was a child. I wanted look like the kids in their
ads. Zara has always been in my life, but at
junior high I stopped using it. Most of my
friends used colorful designer brands and I
started to do the same. I still followed their
clothing lines, but I did not buy their clothes.
Since the beginning of high school I started
use Zara again. They match my style and
they are exactly the kind of clothes I use;
basic clothes in basic colors (blue, white,
beige) with small special details.”

14. A brand relationship in which a brand develops from a
“normal” everyday brand to a close and ego-significant
brand during high school.
 Typically, fashion brands (e.g., H&M) that are affordable
to
most teenagers.
 As the social pressure to use designer brands
decreases
towards the end of junior high, more affordable brands
gradually become essential building blocks of personal
style.
Six evolution types of CBR – LATE UPGRADE
J7 J8 J9 H11H10
G
E H12

15. A LATE UPGRADE
Aida & H&M: ”I’ve always found H&M
clothes nice-looking. At junior high,
nobody wanted to admit wearing them,
but everybody did. They were
inexpensive and lacked status value. I
was labelled an H&M girl at junior high,
which was a bad thing. But later, at high
school it was okey to come out of the
closet with H&M. Ever since It has been
a revevant building block of my personal
style from the beginning of high school;
they have both affordable everyday
clothes and party dresses.”

16. A long-term relationship with a parent-preferred brand
is terminated and replaced with an equivalent brand
preferred by peers.
 Clothing brand worn ever since childhood.
 Everyday brands replaced one another, H&M for
Benetton, for example.
 In the example, the change took place at the end of
junior high or at high school, when a teenager
wanted
dissociate herself from her mother.
Six evolution types of CBR – NEST ABANDONMENT
J7 J8 J9 H11H10
G
E H12

17. SOME DECLINING IDENTITY-CREATORS
Laura & Benetton: ” United colors of
Benetton is my mother’s favorite brand.
She has dressed me up in Benetton
ever since I was a baby. At junior high
Benetton stood for my basic clothing;
tops, shirts and t-shirts. Personally, I
was not that attached to the brand, but
I liked it because my mom liked it.
However, things got changed at the
end of junior high. Although I did not
find anything wrong with Benetton, I
started prefer a less expensive H&H as
my “casual brand”, just like my friends.
My mom gave in and stopped buying
me Benetton. Today, I do not buy
Benetton, but prefer H&M or Mango.”

18. Reflections on theory – How does adolescent development affect consumer–
brand
relationships? 7 propositions
FOR THE ULTIMATE ACCEPTANCE AND HIGHER SELF-
ESTEEM
A long term close brand is abandoned under social pressure for a
determinate period of time (brand lethargy) -> Recovereds
Short and intense relationships with peer-favoured brands of minor
personal significance are created for a determinate period of time -
> Identity-first-aids (”Peer-pressured flings”)
The status aspect of luxury brand relationships is at its peak, as self
is made of pieces owned by various shared contexts (Declining
identity-creators, Identity first-aids)
AN EXPERIMENTATION WITH A WORKABLE IDENTITY IS IN PROGRESS
As the self-definition proceeds:
a) Adolescents dare to have a close relationships with inexpensive everyday
brands; a courage to ”be me” & own judgements prevail social pressure -> Late
upgrade
b) Peer-pressured brand relationhips are terminated (Identity first-aids)
Ego-significant brands can be downgraded into everyday brands as a result of
decreased peer admiration and a long mutual history -> Declining identity-
creator
Long term relationships with parent’s close brands are terminated as adolescents
move from parent to peer identification. -> Relationships with peer-favoured
equivalents are created -> Nest abandonment
TOWARDS THE PSYCHOSOCIAL MORATORIUM
AFFILIATION VS. ABANDONMENT
IDENTITY VS. IDENTITY
CONFUSION
”At the end of
junior high I
realized that it
was absurd to
try to look like
others, it just
was not me.”
Aida, 19 years
J7J8J9 H11H10
G
E H12J7J8J9H11H10
G
E H12J
7
J8J9H11H10
G
E H12
J7J8J9 H11H10
G
E H12J7J8J9 H11H10
G
E H12J7J8J9H11H10
G
E H12UNTOUCHABLES DECL. IDENTITY
C.
RECOVEREDS LATE
UPGRADES
NEST
ABANDONMENT
IDENTITY F-A

19. Value to practitioners - How can a brand survive (the social pressure at )
teenage?
Survivor
brand
Ego- and
family
significanc
e
Functional
excellence
Wide and
dynamic
contextual
coverage
Consumer
investment-
partnership