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Cardoso, M. C. & Cardoso, M. G. M. S. (2019). Books and identity: the case of young-adult women bibliophiles. 26th Recent Advances in Retailing & Services Science Conference.

M. C. Cardoso and M. M. Cardoso,  "Books and identity: the case of young-adult women bibliophiles", in 26th Recent Advances in Retailing & Services Science Conf., Tallinn, 2019

@misc{cardoso2019_1716235408928,
	author = "Cardoso, M. C. and Cardoso, M. G. M. S.",
	title = "Books and identity: the case of young-adult women bibliophiles",
	year = "2019",
	howpublished = "Digital"
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - Books and identity: the case of young-adult women bibliophiles
T2  - 26th Recent Advances in Retailing & Services Science Conference
AU  - Cardoso, M. C.
AU  - Cardoso, M. G. M. S.
PY  - 2019
CY  - Tallinn
AB  - The publishing industry faces several challenges, including reader
engagement and reader-centric marketing. Historically, publishers
have failed to paint an accurate and complete picture of the market
which has often led to them being ineffective or slow to respond to the
expectations of readers. With an increasing plurality of book titles,
knowledge on consumer modes of thought is more important than ever
to encourage reading and book-buying. As one of the most promising
market segments, young-adult women bibliophiles deserve close
examination. Marketing theories of symbolic and self-expressive
consumption contribute to explaining various key facets of consumer
behaviour. In particular, research suggests that the symbolic meanings
attached to objects are linked to consumers’ sense of self, affecting
their attitudes towards specific products and their shopping patterns.
To date, application of such theories to the universe of books is scarce
and mostly superficial. The main aim of this study was to investigate
the link between books and identity (if there was any), focussing on the
case of young-adult women bibliophiles. Key objectives included
understanding both the meanings attributed to books and the meanings
attached to the self-concept of individuals. The results of six in-depth
interviews and 381 survey responses (including partial answers)
provide strong empirical support for a relationship between book
consumption and the development of a personal identity in the case of
young-adult women book lovers, as anticipated by marketing and
consumer behaviour research. Firstly, both the results of the interviews
and the survey have shown that books are generally perceived as more
than functional objects; they are unique symbolic forces. Evidence
supporting this is found, for example, in the associations made with
books (e.g., knowledge). Secondly, books are thought to carry selfconcept
importance – they contribute to shaping the identity of the
target population of the study. A significant share of individuals
believes their interest in books says they are intelligent and openminded,
for instance. In particular, the consumption of books seems to
express how the individuals are (actual self), how the individuals are
in a social context (social self), and also how they want to be and how
they want to be perceived by others (ideal self dimensions). Amongst
these four dimensions, the one that stands out the most is the actual
self. Interestingly, the relationship between consumption and identity
seems to be stronger when individuals perceive books as an important
part of their lives. The findings are relevant for industry practitioners
as they provide insights on the modes of thought and behaviour of a
profitable market segment. Given the results obtained, publishers can
rethink how to develop better marketing strategies to promote even
higher book-buying and reading rates.
ER  -