The Influence of Self-Image Congruence on Brand Evaluations of Publicly and Privately Consumed Products
Keywords:
image congruence, self-image congruence, conspicuous consumptionAbstract
Besides research examining consumer purchase behaviors based on the functional values of product, a relatively small yet expanding body of literature has directed on investigating the relationships between consumers and brands, particularly the symbolic meanings consumers might develop and derive from their brand choices. This research focused on studying consumer behavior using the self-image congruence theory. Specifically, the research has extended the current literature by presenting significant empirical support regarding the influence of different types of self-image congruence in shaping and altering brand evaluations in different situations. The research findings demonstrated that the congruencies between consumers’ self-image and brand user-image may vary depending on the types of products that are being evaluated by consumers. When publicly consumed products are used for evaluation, ideal social self-image rather than actual self-image would appear to be more congruent with brand image. However, when privately consumed products are evaluated, both actual self-image congruence and ideal social self-image congruence are positively associated with consumer brand evaluations.
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