{"id":2755,"date":"2009-07-06T16:02:21","date_gmt":"2009-07-06T20:02:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/?p=2755"},"modified":"2017-11-03T12:06:41","modified_gmt":"2017-11-03T16:06:41","slug":"are-you-a-transumer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/2009\/07\/are-you-a-transumer\/","title":{"rendered":"Are you a transumer?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you see yourself in Gucci ads? Maybe identify with the person carrying a Prada purse?<\/p>\n

Turns out, you don\u2019t have to shell out hundreds of dollars for an item to use it for self-expression—you can rent it instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsumers use brands to create and maintain aspects of their self-concept and can incorporate brands into that concept, a phenomenon known as self-brand connections,\u201d said Alexandra Aguirre Rodriguez<\/strong>, a member of the Marketing Department in the College of Business Administration at Florida International University (FIU), whose research centers on consumer motivation, including self-concept motives.<\/p>\n

A relatively new trend may be changing the way consumers form self-brand connections, and with it the ways companies promote their products: transumerism.<\/p>\n

Short-term consumption could affect long-proven advertising approaches.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Alexandra<\/a>
Alexandra Aguirre Rodriguez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cTransumerism is a phenomenon in which the consumption stage of the consumer behavior process is temporary or short-lived,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cThis type of transient behavior focuses on maximizing the number of experiences consumers are able to have with brands without the hassle of actual ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n

How this transient involvement with an item will affect advertising campaigns is yet to be seen.<\/p>\n

\u201cAssociating their brands with certain images and personalities is a major aspect of a company\u2019s brand-building strategy,\u201d said Rodriguez, who plans to research transumerism in more depth. \u201cResearch has not addressed whether self-brand connection is strengthened by ownership, or if longing for the product without buying it or using the product temporarily without owning it results in weaker self-brand connections.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodriguez was recently tapped by an AP reporter to reflect on transumerism. The article and its companion video <\/a>were picked up by news outlets from New Jersey to Washington State, and from the Cayman Islands to China, including\u00a0 Forbes and MSNBC.com. <\/cite><\/p>\n

Media Coverage<\/strong><\/p>\n