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The authors examined the effects of image congruence and self-monitoring on product evaluations of counterfeit products. Study results show that image congruence is positively related to both product attitude and purchase intentions. Specifically, they found that ideal self-image congruence is more relevant to genuine products, while actual self-image congruence is more relevant to counterfeit products. The study provides further evidence that high self-monitored consumers would have better product evaluations on a genuine product compared to the low self-monitored consumers. In contrast, low self-monitored consumers would have higher product evaluations on counterfeits compared to high self-monitored consumers. The evaluation of image congruence-product relationship is also found to be positively moderated through self-monitoring in the context of genuine products. The major theoretical contribution of this study is an extension of the image congruence hypothesis to the context of counterfeit products and the acknowledgment of the role of self-monitoring in consumer behavior. The implications of the study for marketing practice suggest grounds for refining understanding of how consumers purchase and use counterfeits.

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