The self and the brand

Whereas [Oyserman, D. 2009. Identity-based motivation: Implications for action-readiness, procedural-readiness, and consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology. (this issue)] highlights the importance of identity motivation, this commentary suggests that the interesting questions for consumer researchers are not about identity per se, but about the relationship between the self and brand-related consumption. Two broad areas of investigation that can form an agenda for further research are proposed. The first area concerns the relationship among brands, identity and goals. The second area concerns the potential negative effects of identity on brand choice and on perceptions of identity-related behavior. Consumer researchers are best positioned to pursue issues dealing with the intersection of identity and brands, which can lead to both theoretical and substantive insights.