In the relationship marketing literature, identity is a vital construct in understanding how commercial relationships are initiated, developed, maintained and dissolved over time. This paper aims the clarification of meaning(s) of the brand-consumer relationship identity, in order to comprehend which relational properties are relevant to partners who intend to engage in relationship. This qualitative study was accomplished through in-depth interviews inspired by the phenomenological method. In the analytical scope, a phenomenological reduction was undertaken to reveal the essence of brand-consumer identity, as well as the interpretation of its meaning. Within brand-consumer interactions the properties identified with the Identity construct were: identification, valence and relevance, brand-sign, convergence of values, and recognition. In conclusion, when relationship identity propitiates the emergence of trust within a special type of social space and identification, for example, it assures the existence of the relationship in a long-term.
brand-consumer relationship; identity; phenomenology
