THE IMPACT OF SELF-IMAGE CONGRUENCE ON BRAND PREFERENCE: A STUDY ON MOBILE PHONE USERS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Purpose- the aim of this study was to analyze the effect of congruence between consumer self-image and their perceived brand image on mobile phone brand preference of consumers in Pakistan. As many studies done in this realm highlighted that there is a constant comparison seen between the consumers self-image and their perceived brand image, and after comparing they decide which brand to purchase, but none of those researched were done on the mobile phone category'. That’s why in this paper mobile phone was taken as the product category and consumer's perceived images of different mobile phone brands were analyzed against their self-image in order to know the impact on the brand preference. In this paper we included two dimensions of self image i.e. Ideal and Actual self-image. Methodology/sample- In this study questionnaires were filled by 400 respondents. The respondent individuals belonged to different age groups, marital status, educational background and professional background. To analyze the data we applied regression and Correlation tests and the relationship between dependent and independent variables were analyzed. Findings- The analysis and relative results clearly indicated that individuals in Pakistan prefer those mobile phone brands which go along with their self-image as there was a positive relation among the self image congruity and brand preference. Though, the strength of the relation was moderate, which showed that there are other factors which should be considered in order to obtain a strong relation. Practical Implications- The result of the research will help the marketers and brand managers in building up a brand image that is similar to the consumer’s self image and will help them in understanding that consumer consider mobile phone as mode of expression. It will also help them to understand how much it is important to maintain a brand image which has an association to the consumer’s self-image. As today not just the functional aspects of a mobile phone matters but the brand image of mobile also matters because through the brand consumer express their own image to others.