Young Consumer Conformity and Identity Amplified by Social Media: Marketing Applications

Abstract

As social media and the internet become integral to producer-consumer relations, it is necessary to understand how to properly use these tools to maximize consumer acquisition. Companies and customers must be aware of how psychological factors influence consumer decision-making to make smarter decisions. The author examines the need to belong that young consumers face in the technological world and the conforming influences that impact young consumer decisions. The phrasing of product and sales promotions changes psychological reactions, thus emphasizing the need for careful phrasing during campaigns to convey the right messages. Young consumer identity formation is recognized as a variable in consumer behavior. Despite studies arguing that identity expression has a limited influence on consumer behavior, the author recommends companies apply it in business and marketing strategies. Two forms of social media marketing, word-of-mouth marketing and celebrity marketing, are compared by their appeal to young consumers’ belonging and identity needs. Marketing strategies are discussed, implementing results from the influence of conformity, identity, and social media on consumer behavior. The author applies word-of-mouth marketing successful qualities to the traditional celebrity/social media influencer marketing deals to incorporate psychological influences of trust and genuineness while maintaining the pressures to belong and form an identity. The paper finds that marketing strategies should incorporate identity expression and formation features, as well as taking the expressive elements and targeted narratives from word-of-mouth marketing and implementing them into celebrity endorsements to create an honest, genuine campaign that attracts young consumers.