Brand Addiction

Brand Addiction

In today's world, where rapid consumption dominates every aspect of life, consumers are in search of elements to give meaning to their lives. One of the elements consumers turn to in order to give meaning to their lives is consumption itself. Brands are marketed by companies as elements that will add meaning to consumers' lives, complement their identities, and reflect them.

This is because increased competition in production brought about by industrialization has necessitated each producer to differentiate their product from others to make it desirable. Many products are offered for sale with different brands in the market, and the forefront of competition between companies is the brand. With the creation of the concept of branding, brands have become significant in shaping consumers' purchasing behavior. Brands have acquired an important place for consumers not only in fulfilling tangible needs, such as physical product features, but also in fulfilling psychological needs.

There are four main factors that lead consumers to the concept of a brand:

Quality Assurance Function: When a person buys a product from a certain brand, they take less risk compared to buying a brandless product. Especially if they have used the brand before, they feel even more comfortable. However, even if it is a brand they have not used before, there are certain criteria in their memory regarding that brand, and they make their purchasing decision based on these criteria.
Personal Identity Function: It is the situation where a person identifies their own personality with certain brands. It is based on the idea of enriching a person's own image with the brand image. For example, all belongings such as the car they use, the mobile phone, the clothes, etc., contribute to the formation of their image. In other words, a person may turn to certain brands to create the image they want.
Social Identity Function: A person's affiliation with a group can be supported by their preference for certain images. In fact, there can be formations such as "association of those who use brand x" today. Muniz and O'Guinn define the concept of a brand community as a community based on social relationships developed by individuals who are fans of a brand and are not limited by geographical boundaries. Individuals may want to own a certain brand to be motivated to belong to a group.
Status Function: The brands a person uses can provide positive or negative information to others about the individual. Products such as cars, mobile phones, clothes, etc., are suitable tools for individuals to show their image to others. Consumers may believe that they gain prestige through brand usage.

Of course, it is a fact that the concept of a brand also provides us with a convenience besides the influence of companies on us. Because for consumers, the brand is the simplest way to recognize a product. There is no reason for them to avoid a brand they are satisfied with. A brand is the quality assurance and guarantee of a product. However, apart from this benefit, let us not get carried away too much, let us keep in mind to not deviate from rational thinking.