It’s no skin off your nose: why do consumers tattoo brands?

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore the meanings that brand tattoos have for consumers. Drawing on interviews with consumers who tattooed corporate logos, this paper discusses the interrelations between body, tattoos, self, and brands. The main contributions are related to understanding why people tattoo brands, discussing how brands help consumers create their sense of self, and identifying unique consumer-brand relationships: best friends forever, family ties, childhood buddies, teammates, dealers/addicts, therapists/patients, gurus/disciples, soulmates, partisans, and vintage mates. Consumers develop multiple dynamic relationships with the same brand across realistic, idealistic, personal (inner), and social (outer) dimensions, shaping their identity projects. These relationships can be positively and negatively valenced, influencing how consumers behave and interact with their beloved brands.