Use of Self-brand
In marketing level, companies gain an enduring competitive advantage by utilizing the association between brand and self-concept. This type of association is difficult for competitors to imitate. Take sport consumption context as an example, when consumer fans identify with the team (i.e., a branded organization) and rally together in expectation of victory, the team image is emphasized.
In individual level, brand symbolism provides moderation effects for in-group and out-group association. For in-group, symbolic brand has a stronger communicating effect than non-symbolic brand; for out-group, only symbolic brand used to differentiate one from out-group.
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