The Substitution Economy: How Small Changes in Our Day-To-Day Spending Can Shake the World.

"We are, to some degree, what we buy. Or at least we can become a bit closer to who we want to be based on the products we use, consume, and wear. As consumers our brand alignment can function not only as a means for public self-identification, but also as an important source of self-affirmation. The brands we purchase can become, in a sense, our personal position statement. Each of us can define ourselves publicly, and we can simultaneously feel good about who we are privately, as a direct result of our consumption patterns."