Consumer self-congruency with retail event sponsors and shopping malls : the role of gender

As event sponsorships are planned and assets are assessed for optimal consumer engagement, brands seek insight into the key indicators of consumer perceptions and attitudes towards curated events in order to increase purchase intention. This research explores the role of event sponsorship through the lens of gender perception to help understand variations in self-congruity. Over the course of three-days, attendees (N = 532) completed surveys at a sponsored event (a retail sponsor of a mall fashion show) in order to gain consumers’ feedback on the sponsored event. The data provides indicators to assess gender variations in regards to the event itself, the retailer sponsoring the event, and the mall where the event took place. The self-congruity theory serves as the foundation for this thesis and hypotheses were formed based on the likelihood that gender discrepancies in self-image congruity will affect the attitude toward a sponsored event