The Janus Face of Ideal Self-Congruence: Benefits for the Brand versus Emotional Distress for the Consumer

Abstract

Branding strategies that target the consumer’s ideal self may not always be effective, as they elicit both positive and negative consumer reactions and emotions. In a series of studies, we demonstrate that congruence between the brand’s personality and the consumer’s ideal self improves the consumer’s attitude toward the brand through anticipated self-enhancement but also increases his or her negative self-conscious emotions through envy. These consumer reactions depend on the type of ideals represented by the brand (agentic vs. communal ideals) and on consumers’ self-discrepancy. Our research emphasizes the importance of examining both the risks and the rewards of branding strategies that target consumers’ ideal self-congruence and highlights the need to take a contingency perspective when doing so.