When self-congruence backfires
In her new Journal of Business Research article, Silvia B. Riesgo, Lucia Malär and Andrea Giuffredi-Kähr found a boundary condition of self-congruence theory: when consumers and brands align on socially aversive traits, congruence amplifies rather than attenuates punitive responses.
Self-congruence is not a universally beneficial branding strategy: The effects of consumer-brand congruence depend on the nature of the traits being shared. While congruence on positive traits can strengthen consumer-brand relationships, congruence on Dark Triad traits can intensify consumer backlash.
This paper is following up on the research on the Dark Triad of Brand Personality, Lucia Malär and Andrea Giuffredi-Kähr published in Psychology & Marketing in 2024.
The new paper can be found here.