Unraveling the role of psychological brand ownership in customer engagement: a deep dive into self-congruity and brand authenticity as the dynamics of psychological brand ownership in the context of mobile device brand

Abstract

In a landscape characterized by extensive commercialization and anarrayofconsumer options, psychological brand ownership has emerged as a pivotal conceptin deciphering consumer-brand interactions. This study delves into the nuanceddynamics between PBO, perceived brand ownership, self-congruity (specificallyself-image congruity and functional congruity), and consumer brand engagementwithin the realm of mobile device branding. Drawing upon establishedtheoreticalframeworks including brand authenticity, self-congruity theory, and consumer brandengagement literature, this research develops and validates a comprehensivemodel.The model proposes that perceived brand authenticity, along with self-imagecongruity and functional congruity, serve as critical antecedents of PBO. Additionally, the study explores the ramifications of PBO on consumer brandengagement, encompassing outcomes such as purchase intentions, word-of-mouthcommunication, feedback provision, and referrals. This research contributesempirical evidence to a nascent field by focusing on brands within the mobiledevicemarket. With the dataset collected from 350 respondents in Ho Chi MinhCity, thestudy employs the Partial Least Squares – Structural Equation Modeling approachtoscrutinize the proposed hypotheses. The findings affirm the validity of all hypotheses,highlighting significant direct and indirect relationships. Specifically, perceivedbrand authenticity, self-image congruity, and functional congruity exert a noteworthydirect impact on psychological brand ownership, consequently influencingcustomerbrand engagement. Moreover, perceived brand authenticity emerges as a significantdriver of customer brand engagement in its own right. Ultimately, this studyoffersvaluable insights for both theoretical exploration and practical applicationintherealm of psychological brand ownership