AbstractIt was hypothesized in this study that advertising appeals congruent with viewers' self‐concept would be superior to incongruent appeals in terms of enhancing advertising effectiveness. Advertising effectiveness was operationalized as: brand memory, brand attitude, and purchase intentions. The sample consisted of 165 subjects who were exposed to four test stimuli (ads), two for automobiles and two for shampoos. One ad within a product class used an introvert appeal, and the other used an extrovert appeal. Congruence between self‐concept and the brand image was determined by subjects' evaluations of themselves and the advertised brand. Ad‐related tasks included remembering brand names and indicating preference and buying intention for each brand. The study results indicate that brand memory is not mediated by the extent to which advertising expressions are congruent with viewers' self‐concept. However, brand preference and purchase intention were shown to be influenced by the self‐congruency of an ad. © 1995 John Wiley