Identity change and consumer behavior

This research aims at investigating the effect of the identity change on consumer behavior. In this work, we define the identity change as the acquisition of a new identity, entering the self concept. We investigated how individuals react to identity-based marketing stimuli after experiencing a change in their identity. We argue that the novelty of the new identity may generate a disruption in daily time, and people can experience the new identity as more enacted than the other ones. As results, individuals may prefer products related to their old identity, albeit not temporarily activated. Results from a first study confirm our hypothesis. Analyses show that after an identity change, individuals prefer products related to the old, non-salient identity, albeit the new one has very high level of identification.