Self-Congruency as a Cue in Different Advertising-Processing Contexts

This study proposes that an ad message's congruency with subjects' self-concepts serves as a peripheral cue when subjects do not have the motivation to process information, and shows that when a product is high involving, as opposed to low involving, attitudes toward the product are less likely to be developed based on the messages'Self-congruency.

Abstract

This study examines how self-congruent advertising messages affect ad and brand evaluations in different contexts. Within the Elaboration Likelihood Model, this study proposes that an ad message's congruency with subjects' self-concepts serves as a peripheral cue when subjects do not have the motivation to process information. Experiment 1 shows that subjects rely on messages' self-congruency in forming brand and ad attitudes in positive affective states, in which motivation to engage in message elaboration is low, whereas subjects in negative affective states do not. Moreover, in line with past evidence that the lack of motivation to process induced by positive affective states can be overridden by factors enhancing individuals' motivation, Experiment 2 demonstrates that when a product is high involving, as opposed to low involving, attitudes toward the product are less likely to be developed based on the messages' self-congruency, even when subjects' affective states encourage a peripheral mode of processing.