"During middle childhood, children make a limited number of self-brand connections, which are based on concrete associations with the brand, such as owning or buying branded items. As children move into adolescence, self-brand connections increase as brands are viewed as being connected to one's self-concept because the brand has the same personality, user characteristics, or reference group affiliation," explain the authors of the study, Lan Nguyen (University of Illinois) and Deborah Roedder John (University of Minnesota)
Though much is known about adult consumers, how children are affected by the brands they choose has not been fully studied. "We know very little about the role of brands in defining, expressing, and communicating self-concepts in children," write the authors. "Our interest lies in understanding at what age children begin to incorporate brands into their self-concepts and how these self-brand connections change in qualitative ways as children move into adolescence."
The Development of Self-Brand Connections in Children and Adolescents. Lan Nguyen Chaplin and Deborah Roedder John. Journal of Consumer Research, June 2005.
Journal
Journal of Consumer Research