Abstract
A number of studies have investigated the self-congruity hypothesis, which predicts that consumers prefer products and brands whose images closely correspond to their own self-concepts. Support for this hypothesis has been equivocal, and investigators have explored methodological factors and moderators that might account for the discrepant results. In this research we introduce a new variable, product ownership status, as a theoretically important moderator of self-congruity effects. Our study demonstrates that product ownership does indeed moderate these effects, as the self-congruity effect observed under conditions of ownership was eliminated in the absence of ownership.
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Barone, M.J., Shimp, T.A. & Sprott, D.E. Product Ownership as a Moderator of Self-Congruity Effects. Marketing Letters 10, 75–86 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008091225061
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008091225061