Nike is a famous brand in the present world because millions of people throughout the globe wear its products. In addition to providing consumers with clothes and accessories, the brand also affects individual self-identity, and I can confirm it using a personal example. I can state that for me, Nike is associated with consumer citizenship. According to Sturken and Cartwright (2017), this term describes “the ways in which human subjects’ senses of national and community belonging increasingly are constructed through participation in brand cultures” (p. 259). Individuals can develop the feeling of belonging through two ways: wearing a product or involving in an interaction with the brand. On the one hand, the feeling of consumer citizenship emerges when I buy and wear some Nike items. On the other hand, such an interaction is now possible thanks to various social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and others. Sturken and Cartwright (2017) clarify that consumers can use the Internet to post their feedback, while organizations tend to analyze this data and adjust their performance according to customers’ needs when it is appropriate. Active interaction with the brand allows me to self-identify as a consumer citizen. As a rule, citizenship implies that a person has obligations and rights. In this case, I understand that my right is to express my preferences and concerns with the brand products and expect that these suggestions will be satisfied. For example, I was among many potential customers who were sending comments to Nike accounts criticizing their marketing campaigns for insufficient diversity. The company’s current advertisements demonstrate that the organization has drawn attention to these comments because diversity, inclusion, and equality are leading messages of Nike’s current marketing efforts.
Reference
Sturken, M., & Cartwright, L. (2017). Practices of looking: An introduction to visual culture. Oxford University Press.