Brand loyalty in a gaming context takes many forms, including conscious selection of brand, intention of game continuation, positive word of mouth, recommendation, or even active recruitment. As games can be played multiple times, player loyalty is essential to fostering an on-going relationship between brand and consumer. This study focuses on the theory of self-congruity, the congruence between one’s self-concept and one’s perception of a brand’s personality, and its impact on brand loyalty in the gaming industry, a market that has grown exponentially in recent years. Through 31 in-depth interviews, the initial qualitative research explores self-congruity (actual, ideal, social, and ideal social) and its relationship to the gaming environment and how that impacts brand loyalty. The findings of the first study demonstrated: 1. congruity between the player and game character, rather than the game itself, 2. the deeply personal approach to character design, and 3. the feeling of immersion in the game’s narrative. Based on the initial study findings, the second study was developed to incorporate flow theory that describes the nature of feeling fully immersed within the game. A conceptual model was created to integrate self-congruity and flow theories and their impact on brand loyalty. The model was then tested through 512 respondents of a self-reported survey. Results supported prior researchers’ findings, such as the relationships between player-character identification and flow as well as flow and loyalty. Yet, we found that ideal congruity may be a stronger indicator of loyalty as mediated through flow, while actual congruity may in fact inhibit the relationship. The results of this research provide a theoretical contribution by adding self-congruity theory to the flow and loyalty body of knowledge in the gaming space. Furthermore, the self-congruity measurement model provides an alternative measurement method to the previous player-character identification model. From a managerial perspective, the study results support an approach to game design that encourages character design suited to players’ ideal selves rather than mimicking their actual, “real world” selves. / Business Administration/Marketing

The full text will be available at the end of the embargo: 10th April 2027

Syftet med denna studie är att utveckla en djupare förståelse för inställningen till reklambilder hos svenska kvinnor i generation Z. Vi kommer undersöka vad de anser är viktigt att inkludera och hur de vill bli representerade när det gäller modeller som bär kläder på reklambilder på bildplattformen Instagram. Det empiriska materialet består av tolv djupgående semistrukturerade intervjuer med kvinnor födda mellan åren 1997-2000. Som underlag i intervjuerna använder studien visuella moodboards (fotokollage) med reklambilder från sex olika varumärken. Syftet med moodboards var att möjliggöra bättre diskussionsunderlag och sedan kunna analysera varför respondenterna rangordnade respektive moodboard på plats 1, 3 och 6. Resultatet visade att respondenterna främst ville representeras genom igenkänningsfaktorer såsom kroppsform, etnicitet och personlig stil. De ville även representeras som självsäkra och med bred mångfald, för att spegla hur samhället faktiskt ser ut. Respondenterna ansåg att mångfald var viktigt där de ville att reklambilder på Instagram skulle inkludera flera olika attribut. De viktigaste attributen var först och främst olika kroppstyper och etniciteter, för att öka igenkänningsfaktorn. Utöver kroppstyp och etnicitet ansåg de även att det var viktigt att inkludera flera grupper som ansågs underrepresenterade, såsom äldre, människor med funktionsvariation och transpersoner. Ytterligare attribut som ett fåtal respondenter påpekade att de ville inkludera i reklambilder var aknebenägen hud och glasögon, för att höja igenkänningsfaktorn. Avslutningvis vill respondenterna att reklambilder på Instagram ska framhäva och inkludera attribut som människor vanligtvis vill dölja och därför gå åt det mer naturliga hållet. Detta ansågs som rätt i tiden och dit samhället förhoppningsvis är på väg. / The purpose of this study is to develop a deeper understanding of the attitude towards advertising images among Swedish women in generation Z. We will investigate what they consider important to include and how they want to be represented in terms of models who wear clothes in advertising images on the social media platform Instagram. The empirical material consists of twelve in-depth semi-structured interviews with women born between 1997 to 2000. As a basis for the interviews, the study uses visual moodboards (photo collage) with advertising images from six different brands. The purpose of the moodboards was to enable better discussion material and then be able to analyze why the respondents chose the respective moodboard in place 1, 3 and 6. The results show that the respondents mainly wanted to be represented through recognition factors such as body shapes, ethnicity and personal style. They also wanted to be represented as self confident and with a wide diversity, to reflect what society actually looks like. Respondents believed that diversity was important and wanted advertising images on Instagram to include several different attributes. The most important attributes were first and foremost different body types and ethnicities, to increase the recognition factor. In addition to body type and ethnicity, they also felt that it was important to include several different groups that were considered underrepresented, such as the elderly, people with disabilities and trans people. Additional attributes that a few respondents indicated they wanted to include in advertising images were acne-prone skin and glasses, due to increasing the recognition factor. Lastely, the respondents wanted advertising images on Instagram to show and include attributes that people usually want to hide and therefore go in the more natural direction. This was considered the right time and where society is hopefully heading.