The effects of self-congruity on brand attitude : the moderating impact of different usage situations

Abstract

Self-congruity theory is a much researched construct in marketing literature. Nevertheless, the results found are controversial and there is a lack of consensus about several factors including which variables moderate the self-congruity effect. In an effort to lessen some of the controversy, this study investigates how different usage situations influence the effects of consumers’ self-congruity evaluations on brand attitude. Moreover, rapid technological developments influence consumers’ behavior, affecting the success of marketing efforts. Therefore, as one of the firsts, our research includes the presence of social media in connection to self-congruity theory. Based on a study with 116 respondents, we tested the self-congruity effect for three different usage situations: public, private and private with social media. It was found that the selfcongruity effect was strongest in public usage situations, followed by private with social media usage situations. No significant results were found for private usage situations. In addition, further tests show that the self-congruity effect on brand attitude diminishes or even completely disappears when measured together with other variables such as quality, taste, and brand knowledge. These findings have interesting implications for measurement of symbolic brand effects and marketing theory. Firstly, based on the results that the self-congruity effect disappears when measured together with other variables, we can infer that self-congruity should always be tested together with other attributes to avoid any measurement bias. Moreover, the varying effects of perceived self-congruity in different usage situations is valuable information for brands and can be used to optimize their marketing efficiency.