Does brand loyalty express self-worth?

• Position: Marketing - Brief article

The brand name logo on a laptop or a shirt pocket may do the same thing for some people that a pendant of a crucifix or Star of David does for others. For those who are not deeply religious. visible markers of commercial brands are a form of self-expression and a token of self-worth, just like symbolic expressions of one's faith, according to research by Gavan Fitzsimons. professor of marketing and psychology at Duke University. Durham, N.C., and colleagues at New York and Tel Aviv universities. In fact, the more religious a person is. the less those sort of brand expressions seem to matter.

"People with a high involvement in religiosity aren't necessarily as brand-conscious as people who don't practice religion," states Fitzsimons. This is true at least for visible expressions of brand, like socks and sunglasses. "We don't think people who are choosing these brands are consciously saying, 'I want to signal to everyone how I feel about myself through this brand, "explains Fitzsimons.

Subconsciously, however, it likely...