Ad-self-congruency effects: Self-enhancing cognitive and affective mechanisms

This article explores how the drive for self-enhancement influences responses to ads depicting images that are self-congruent along the dimensions of femininity and individualism/collectivism. Participants' schematics on the portrayed dimension were found to exhibit higher levels of cognitive self-referencing and positive affect when the ad image was congruent with their ideal self-schemata than when it was not. Greater self-referencing and positive affect were found, in turn, to promote more favorable ad attitudes, thereby resulting in more positive brand attitudes. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.