When information fits the experience: a dual-congruity perspective on real-world intentions toward virtual brand events

What the paper says

Purpose Despite growing interest in immersive marketing, little is known about how virtual brand experiences influence real-world consumer intentions. Specifically, research has yet to clarify how cognitive fit (schema congruity) and identity fit (self–brand congruity) interact across different levels of event ambiguity. This study addresses this gap by proposing and testing a dual-congruity framework explaining how these fits jointly shape willingness to attend real-world brand events following metaverse-based experiences. Design/methodology/approach Three scenario-based online studies (total N = 1,159) were conducted using virtual event contexts that varied in clarity (clearly social, clearly procedural, and ambiguous). Schema congruity and brand–self congruity were systematically varied across conditions, while consumer demographics (age, gender, education, income) and virtual-world experience were included as covariates. Findings In Study 1 (social event) and Study 2 (procedural event), both schema congruity and self–brand congruity increased intentions to attend the real-world event, showing a compensatory pattern in which schema congruity mattered most when self–brand congruity was low. In Study 3 (ambiguous event), neither form of congruity alone predicted intentions; instead, a complementary pattern emerged, where schema congruity increased intentions only when self–brand congruity was high, indicating that ambiguity requires both cognitive and identity fit. Originality/value This study proposes a dual-congruity framework that integrates schema congruity and self-congruity, showing how cognitive and identity-based fits interact under different levels of event ambiguity. By linking these dynamics to real-world participation intentions, it advances interactive marketing theory and offers practical guidance for metaverse event design.