A Conceptual Essay on Consumer Identity and Information Processing: Integrating Social Identity Theory and the Heuristic-Systematic Model

Abstract: Consumer identity and involvement, individually, have been shown to affect consumer decision-making. Limited evidence has explained how these two constructs and related theories complement each other to provide a more complete explanation of consumer decision-making. Accordingly, this essay develops a conceptual model and research propositions positing that a brand’s reputation, which is built through advertising and other marketing activities over time, influences consumers to reference salient and relevant aspects of their identity. It further suggests that if advertising is congruent with the brand’s reputation, it will lead to consumer brand identification. Then, the model theorizes that identification impacts evaluations of involvement and congruence with the advertising message en route to heuristic and/or systematic processing. The essay also offers suggestions for future research and implications.