Ad-Brand Visual Congruence on Social Media: A Computational Analysis of Color Similarity and Logo Presence

Visuals play an important role in brand social media communication. This study builds on schema (in)congruency theory and visual effect literature to examine how ad–brand visual congruence predicts consumer engagement metrics. Taking a computational approach and using behavioral data, we analyzed visuals from 15,299 Instagram posts by Fortune 500 companies to examine how (1) color similarity between post visuals and brand color, and (2) logo presence in visuals predict likes and comments. Controlling for confounders, color similarity was negatively associated with both metrics, whereas logo presence positively predicted comments. Brands with higher commitment levels benefited more in likes but experienced a weaker positive association between logo presence and comments.