This is a project I completed for my Intro to Marketing class. The project describes my roles as a consumer, but also provides a "sneak peak" at my story.

4. One of my major roles in life is being an older sister. My younger
sister and I have gone through a lot of ups and downs, but at this point in
my life we are closer than we’ve ever been. I chose a picture of my sister
and I at a Pirates game because that is one of the many things that have
brought us together. We both love Pittsburgh sports. Recently, attending
baseball and football games has been something we really enjoy. It’s our
bonding time.
I play a role as an older sister every day, but I’m not with my sister
every single day and we aren’t attending sporting events all the time.
This specific role is most prominent when I’m home for breaks and holi-
days and when I have free time in the summer. This role also correlates
with my finances. I only have the money to spend on my little sister when
I’m able to work. Those times are over the summer and holiday breaks.
My role as a student often causes consumption conflict with my
role as a sister because my biggest responsibility lies in my school work. I
often have to make consumption decisions between time and money.
Take the extra time to study takes away from free time with my sister.
Choosing to purchase school supplies and books, as well as covering liv-
ing expenses affects my ability to spend on leisurely activities with my sis-
ter. Our relationship is strong either way, but it’s more enhanced when
we’re able to go do things together.

6. I love yoga! It’s a huge stress reliever and I try to attend
occasional classes in studios in Shadyside. I also practice yoga
on my own. It’s definitely my top choice in terms of exercise.
In addition, those who practice yoga form a culture that is
very unique and positive. I love being able to identify with
that.
Although being a “yogi” is a role I play, it is much less im-
portant than things such as being a sister, daughter, team-
mate, student, and friend. This role is most prominent when I
have extra free time or I’m extremely stressed. I am a con-
sumer of the services when my other primary roles aren’t de-
manding my attention. Being a yogi is about recognizing your-
self and taking time to reenergize and relax. I’m not always
able to put myself first.
I experience consumption conflict when I have to choose
between being a yogi, fashionista, and music junkie. I only
have so much money to spend on hobbies. I often have to
choose out of the three at a single point in time. I weigh
price, time, accessibility, and need.
NAMASTE

8. Being a teammate is huge responsibility. I can apply this role
to more than one aspect of my life. I am a teammate in group
projects, student organizations, my part-time job, and even
among my friends. My role as a teammate is always changing
and developing, but it’s always present.
This role is active every day of every week. I’m involved aca-
demically, socially, and even professionally. I’m constantly work-
ing on projects, events, and assignments. About 80% of every-
thing I do requires some degree of collaboration. This role goes
hand-in-hand with many of my other roles so it doesn’t neces-
sarily cause consumption conflict.
The only negative effect that this role causes is minor cogni-
tive dissonance in regards to how I spend my time. It’s difficult to
balance my role as a teammate with my social life, family life,
and academic life. Each requires some degree of leadership and
teamwork and I have to divide the role among three groups. It’s
hard to decide what gets more or less attention when the divide
cannot be equal.
I can’t, but we can.

10. Being a writer is a role I play in my personal life. I have a huge appreciation
for words, clever quotes, well-written articles and books, and even advertisements.
I want to pursue a career in advertising so I’m always trying to enhance my commu-
nication skills. I always start with writing.
This role is present at all times. I try to write my own story every day. I love to
purchase books, I google quotes at least once a day, and turn to written words
when I can’t express myself verbally. I purchase a lot of books and decorations with
thoughtful words and phrases. Clever slogans and advertising approaches always
catch my eye.
Being a writer applies to many other roles such as being a student, team-
mate, free spirit, media guru, and dreamer. I use my writing skills in almost every-
thing I do. I love to blog and I’m constantly writing thoughts and ideas on paper and
even in my phone. I don’t find that being a writer causes much conflict. My love for
words always leads me to look for products that are creative and unique. For exam-
ple, I recently made a purchase from Maggie and Stella’s. I bought a published book
of motivational quotes. After the purchase, I went online to look up the brand and
found some other items that I’ve added to my Christmas list. I like small, unconven-
tional brands. I found they produce some really creative products and I appreciate
the thought and quality of their work.
“I’m always
writing a
story in my
head.”

12. “As we grow up, we realize it becomes
less important to have a ton of
friends, and more important to have
real ones.”
Aside from being a sister and a daughter, being a friend is a role that is
extremely important to me. I put a lot of time and effort into maintaining the
relationships that I believe are worth having. I am a friend 24/7. I stress to my
friends that I’m always there for them.
My friendships have a lot of impact on my academic, social, and per-
sonal life. A lot of the decisions I make are influenced by some of my best
friends and I look to them specifically for help and guidance. How I spend
my time and money is also largely influenced by my friends. Ultimately, I
make my own decisions, but if all my friends decide to go shopping, go to
dinner, or see a movie I feel inclined to participate as well. I value the time
and memories that come from those times. I’m willing to make considerable
investments for memories because I think it’s a crucial part of living a mean-
ingful life.
Unfortunately, I do experience consumption conflicts when I have to
put my other roles ahead of spending time with friends. My friends like to
use the term FOMO (fear of missing out) for a lot of situations in which
someone is unable to experience something. I do have a large fear of miss-
ing out because I so highly value experiences and memories.

14. Currently, being a student has a huge impact on all of the
decisions I make. Aside from friends and family, it is my biggest re-
sponsibility. All of the choices I make now are directly affecting
my career. Most of my time is dedicated to school. All of the oth-
er roles I have are impacted by my studies. I have to make a lot
of sacrifices to make sure I’m a successful student.
Being a student controls my social life, my financial deci-
sions, my future, and my time. I am student 24/7. Even in the sum-
mer I manage classes and internships. There are not many things
that come before my school work. Since becoming a college stu-
dent, my consumption of school supplies, books, electronic de-
vices, food, and resources overall has nearly doubled. When it
comes to tuition, I obviously wasn’t price sensitive. I’m now expe-
riencing some cognitive dissonance about that decision when
thinking about the pile of debt that is waiting for me in less than 2
years. When it comes to books and pretty much everything else
that comes along with the college lifestyle, I actively search for
discounts.
Hail to Pitt!

16. “ I always find beauty in things
that are odd & imperfect– they
are much more interesting.”
I define myself as a free spirit because I am drawn to anything that is unor-
dinary, goofy, artistic, and unconventional. I have a very open mind and I love to
try new things, meet new people, and travel. I keep a lot of these characteristics
in mind in a lot of my consumption decisions. For example, I don’t like to buy
name brands when it comes to clothes and shoes. I love thrift shopping and find-
ing deals. I have found some really unique pieces at Goodwill and fashion thrift
shops. I prefer cafes, coffee shops, and family-owned restaurants to large chains.
I’m a small town girl from a little country town that wants to start a career in New
York City. I’m open to new environments and I look for innovation and creativity
in the products and services I consume.
Being a free spirit is something that is present all the time. It’s part of my
personality and who I am. It affects a lot of the roles I play and how people per-
ceive me. I don’t feel that this role causes any conflict, but it does influence some
of purchasing habits. I’m very crafty. I buy a lot of handmade products or buy the
materials to make a lot of my own things. I like to buy very unique food ingredi-
ents. I like to try different cultural dishes. I came to Pitt because I loved the di-
verse atmosphere. I find being a free spirit is a huge benefit and a positive role to
identify with.

18. “Some of my best friends are playlists.”
Music is my escape. I have an appreciation for lyrics and one of my
favorite things to do is attend concerts. I listen to broad range of genres
and you won’t find me anywhere without my headphones. I spend a
large amount of money on purchasing music and I spend an even larger
amount of time browsing YouTube, Spotify, and iTunes for new artists,
new releases, and catchy tunes. My love for music is very prominent in
my life.
I tend to purchase more concert tickets in the summertime. I’m a
big fan of country music and a large portion of those shows are in the
months of May-August. I’ve never experienced any conflict in this role
because I have free access to music anywhere at any time. In terms of
concerts, those are more reliant on money and time. This role also re-
lates to my roles as sister, friend, daughter, teammate, yogi, and student.
Many of my friends, peers, and family all share the same appreciation
for music and it’s a way to relate to others.
My love for music guides my decisions to buy electronic devices.
When I purchased my laptop I looked specifically for a good sound sys-
tem. When I buy new headphones I look for quality. I initially switched
from an Android phone to an iPhone because I liked the idea of being
able to sync my iTunes to my cell phone. I am willing to spend more
money for more high quality devices when it comes to the sound quality.

20. I love fashion! When I was little I wanted to grow up and become
a fashion designer. I’m always looking for clothing and shoe sales.
I look for pieces that are stylish, but also low-priced. I can’t afford
name brands and I don’t believe that clothes are something that
should create identity. I believe clothes are a form of expression
no matter what brand or quality. I’m a bargain shopper and
chances are not many people would know.
A lot of my spending money goes towards new clothes and shoes
because I like to change my style, create new outfits, and create
a unique look. When I’m in a clothing store I look for what I like.
Brand recognition is irrelevant to me. My purchasing habits are
driven mainly by personal tastes rather than social pressures.
I hate online shopping. I prefer to browse a store. However, the
emails and promotions I receive on my phone do influence the
frequency that I visit a store.
My role as a fashionista is influenced by other roles such as being
a free spirit, dancer, student, and yogi. I frequently experience
cognitive dissonance after my purchases, but it always fades
after wearing the new clothes. I also frequently experience con-
sumption conflicts when I have to cut back on clothes in order to
support another hobby, need, or want. The shiny new shoes in
the store front that I can’t have just break my heart.

22. I have a highly active social media presence. I have an Instagram, Twitter, Fa-
cebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Pinterest, and YouTube account. I use a lot of these
platforms for reasons other than just networking and communication. I use many of
them to create my personal brand. I spend a lot of time researching and creating
the content that I want to share with my audiences through each of those channels.
In terms of general media, I’m extremely interested in movies and music vid-
eos, comedy, and photography so I spend a lot of time browsing reviews, articles,
online journals, and blogs. I find this creates a lot of consumption conflict in my life
because it takes time. There is not enough time in one day to do everything that I
wish I could do. Managing my time well is something that I struggle with daily.
I find that media is capable of enhancing my interests or generating new in-
terests. I use social media as a way to keep up with trends and news, but it also
sparks my creativity. I try to portray myself as a very creative ,dynamic individual
and my various profiles reflect that. My interest in creating a personal brand via me-
dia channels is reflected a lot in consumption decisions. I’m constantly thinking
“What look can I create?”, “What can I do to make a difference?”, “This would be an
amazing event.”, “I want to build these skills”, etc. For example, I basically use Pin-
terest boards to map out the physical things I want, the experiences I want, the look
I want, and even the emotional level I want to reach. To meet a lot of those goals, I
have to purchase products and services. My role as a media guru affects all of the
other roles I play because it’s so broad and is incorporated into so many different
aspects of my life.
#creativity

24. I owe my parents the world. In the past couple years, my
role as a daughter has been extremely important to me. I’ve real-
ized how much my parents have sacrificed for me. I take the ex-
tra time to make sure they know how I appreciative I am. My
parents are my rock and they are responsible for every single one
of my successes. All of my decisions are based on the values and
lessons that my parents have taught me.
In a less emotional sense, my mom taught me everything I
know about bargain shopping and how to find deals. My dad has
taught me how to manage money and how to look for quality. I
know how to shop smart. When I’m making my own purchases I
keep these things in mind. I apply the lessons I’ve learned from
my parents to everything.
Before making a big purchase, I look to my parents for their
opinion. Being a daughter doesn’t cause my conflict or signifi-
cantly affect the other roles in my life.

26. “If your dreams don’t
scare you, they’re not big
enough.”
I want to live in New York City. I want to create a career in
advertising. I want to see the world. I have a bucket list. I
want to meet as many people as I can. I want to live my life
to the fullest. I want memories and experiences. I want to
make a difference. I want to become a recognized blogger.
I have a lot of goals in life that seem so far away. I have a bil-
lion ideas in my head and I sit and day dream every day about
how I’m going to get where I want to be. Being a dreamer di-
rectly relates to being a writer, student, free spirit, and team-
mate. All of the roles I play lead into this role. Everything I do
has some meaning. The smallest things get me one step clos-
er to my dreams. Every consumption decision I make, every
personal decision I make, every academic decision I make
play a part in shaping who I am and what I’m going to be-
come.