The Impact of Self-congruity on Brand Engagement in Luxury Brand Settings: The Mediating Role of Brand Love

Purpose: T he purpose o f this study is t o determine the impact o f consumer self-congruity on cognition, emotion, and behavior in luxury brand purchasing environments. To this end, we propose constructs such as brand identif ication and brand consciousness as cognitive constructs, brand love as affective constructs, and brand participation as behavioral constructs, and identify the causal relationship between constructs and the mediating ef fect of brand love. Research design, data, and methodology: A survey was conducted on 340 consumers who recently purchased luxury brands. SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 26.0 statistical packages were used to confirm the validity and reliability of the data. The research hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). Convergent validity was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Discriminant validity was confirmed through correlation analysis. Results: The r esults of this study are as f ollows. Self-congruity h ad a positive effect on brand identification and brand consciousness. Brand identification had a positive effect on brand consciousness. Brand identification and brand consciousness both had a positive effect on brand love. Brand love had a positive e f fect on b rand e ngagement. And w hile b rand l ove was partially mediated in the relationship between brand identification and brand engagement, brand love was f ully mediated in the relationship between brand consciousness and brand engagement. Implications: Luxury brand marketers or managers will need to implement a marketing strategy that can create a strong internal brand consciousness by helping consumers recognize the value of the luxury brand and build a relationship with the brand. Additionally, brand engagement should be strengthened by increasing bonds and attachment to luxury brands.