Marketing Communications and Identity Dynamics
Summary
Marketing communications and identity dynamics interrogate the reciprocal relationship between persuasive messages and the evolving self‐representations of individuals and collectives. At its core, this field examines how brands, institutions and communities deploy symbols, narratives and channels to resonate with consumer identities, while consumers actively interpret, negotiate and sometimes contest those messages in line with their self‐concepts, social affiliations and cultural backgrounds. Advances in digital platforms and social media have intensified this interplay, enabling both mass customisation and peer‐to‐peer co‐creation of brand meaning. Theoretical frameworks such as social identity theory and symbolic consumption offer rich accounts of how marketers frame group memberships and self‐expressive motives to foster attachment and trust. Simultaneously, identity is understood as fluid and multi‐layered, shaped by intersections of ethnicity, gender, religion, geography and digital subcultures. This dynamic lens emphasises that marketing communications are not merely one‐way broadcasts but dialogic processes in which power, reflexivity and situated contexts influence who is visible, how inclusion is achieved and what forms of belonging are nurtured. The practical implications span global brand positioning, community engagement, diversity and inclusion strategies, and the ethical stewardship of identity narratives in an increasingly polarised marketplace.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Marketing Communications and Identity Dynamics publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in marketing communications and identity dynamics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Social identity theory: A framework positing that individuals derive part of their self‐concept from membership in social groups and seek positive distinctiveness for those groups.
Self‐concept: The composite of beliefs, values and perceptions that a person holds about their own identity across various roles and contexts.
Symbolic consumption: The process by which consumers select and use brands as symbols to communicate personal and social identities.
Co-creation: A collaborative practice in which firms and consumers jointly produce meaning, value and identity through interactive communication processes.
References
- Inclusivity and Diversity: A Systematic Review of Strategies Employed in the Higher Education Marketing Discipline. Journal of Marketing Education (2023).
- Positionality, inter-subjectivity and reflexivity in Muslim minority research. International Journal of Market Research (2023).
- The empty body: exploring the destabilised brand of a racialised space. Journal of Marketing Management (2023).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.