Effects of Source Congruity on Brand Attitudes and Beliefs: The Moderating Role of Issue‐Relevant Elaboration

In this article, we examine the conditions under which source congruity affects brand attitudes and beliefs. Source congruity is defined as the degree of match between accessible endorser associations and attributes associated with the brand. When the level of issue‐relevant elaboration is high, we propose that source congruity affects brand attitudes positively, as consumers seek brand‐relevant information to form attitudes. When the level of issue‐relevant elaboration is low, source congruity has less of an effect on brand attitudes, as consumers use peripheral cues or heuristics to form attitudes. Support for the hypotheses comes from three lab studies.