Effects of brand personality dimensions on consumers' perceived self-image congruity and functional congruity with hotel brands

Brand personality plays a key role in consumer brand psychology, but researchers and practitioners lack an adequate understanding of the efficacy of individual brand personality dimensions. Drawing on the theory of self-congruity and an analysis of eight U.S. hotel brands, this study revealed the varying roles that brand personality plays in driving brand choice: in particular, consumers tend to express their self-images through the brand personality dimensions known as Excitement and Sincerity, while relying on Sincerity and Competence to evaluate how consistent a hotel's functions are with their own preferences. The study also indicates that business travelers are more likely than leisure travelers to value functional congruity, while self-image congruity is more important to leisure than business travelers. The paper offers hotel practitioners a better understanding of the personality dimensions they should position or strengthen for their hotel brands to deliver to customers based on each dimension's utility.