The idea that people use brands as a signal of their identity has led brand managers to devote much effort to positioning and repositioning their brand to fit into consumers’ lifestyle.However,they ignore of the importance of exactly who is more likely to rely on brands to express their self-worth than others.The authors explore the potentially hydraulic relationship between social support and brands,such that a) those chronically low social support will show an increased tendency to turn toward brands as a means of achieving a sense of self-worth,and b) experienced increases in self-worth will decrease brand reliance and brand-based self-worth.In four studies,the authors measures and manipulate social support to provide converging evidence in support this notion,while also ruling out price sensitivity as a potential confound,and demonstrating that this effect is particularly strong for those with a high need to belong.Implication for brand managers and future research direction for scholars are discussed.