The psychology of self-congruence and communal brand connection in the formation of brand attitudes

This paper examines the significance of the psychological phenomena of self-congruity and communal brand connection in shaping brand attitudes, with a particular focus on how social influencers affect consumers’ attitudes toward their favorite fashion and beauty brands. An online survey was conducted with 150 fashion-conscious consumers in Zimbabwe. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 26 for descriptive statistics, and linear regression was employed to test the relationships between the variables. The results show that self-congruity has a direct effect on the formation of brand attitudes. Communal brand connection influences social-adjustive attitudes. However, some fashion and beauty consumers do not exhibit a communal brand connection yet have strong self–brand congruence, perceiving the brand as a reflection of themselves while refusing to identify with other users.