Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand how congruence influences product evaluations in an international Latin culture context, as moderated by the public vs private nature of the product and user-image vs product-personality congruence. Design/methodology/approach Participants were recruited from two universities in Spanish-speaking, Latin cultures: Spain – Latin Europe (n=340) and Uruguay – Latin America (n=400). All participants were asked to indicate product-personality congruence (i.e. congruence between one’s self and the product) and user-image congruence (i.e. congruence between a product’s typical user and the product) for two private and two public products. Findings Two types of congruence (product-personality and user-image) positively influence brand evaluations more for publicly consumed than for privately consumed brands for consumers in both Latin cultures, with effect sizes being greater than prior research in other cultures. Research limitations/implications This research supports congruence theory in showing that similarity between a consumer and a brand leads to more favorable attitudes. Limitations include the sole use of student subjects and examination in only two countries of Latin culture. Practical implications Regardless of a brand’s personality, brands should seek consumers with similar personality traits, especially in Latin cultures. Originality/value This research addresses several limitations in prior research by examining both publicly and privately consumed products in one study, exploring congruence across Latin cultures, and testing products not confounded by addictive properties.

Negative consequences of alcohol abuse during adolescence have been extensively described. Consequently, different interventions have been developed to address this issue. This article describes the implementation and evaluation of Iudicium, an educational drama-based intervention designed to increase risk perception of alcohol abuse. In this activity, high school students judge a case in which alcohol consumption had negative consequences (e.g., fights, unwanted pregnancy, and car accident). A trial is simulated and after that, a debriefing takes place during which the activity is discussed and informational materials on the effects of alcohol are provided and commented. A total of 318 students (55.7% females and 44.3% males) from five high schools participated in the study. Data regarding risk perception of alcohol abuse and adequacy of the activity was collected before and after the intervention. Results suggest that Iudicium was effective in increasing risk perception of abusive drinking, reaching a 34% of increase regarding risk perception. Participants highlighted the experiential component of Iudicium as a strength. The intervention was well-accepted, easy to understand and apparently an effective tool for increasing risk perception of alcohol abuse among high school students. El consumo abusivo de alcohol en la adolescencia se asocia a importantes consecuencias negativas y por tanto diversos programas e intervenciones se han desarrollado para tratar esta problemática. KeywordsEn este artículo presentamos Iudicium, una actividad realizada en contextos educativos y basada en una dramatización, cuyo objetivo es incrementar la percepción del riesgo del consumo abusivo de alcohol en adolescentes. En la actividad se realiza un juicio grupal a un caso ficticio, donde los protagonistas sufren consecuencias severas a causa del consumo excesivo de alcohol (p. ej., peleas físicas, embarazo no deseado, y accidente automovilístico). A continuación, se procede a una reflexión grupal y a la discusión de información sobre los efectos del consumo de alcohol. Participaron en la actividad 318 estudiantes (55,7% mujeres y 44,3% hombres) procedentes de 5 centros de bachillerato. La percepción de riesgo de consumo de alcohol fue evaluada pre y post intervención. Los resultados indican que la actividad tuvo un impacto positivo, observándose un aumento de un 34% en la percepción de riesgo de abuso de alcohol. La aceptación de la intervención fue buena y los participantes destacaron el componente experiencial como una de sus fortalezas. En suma, Iudicium parece ser una intervención eficaz para aumentar la percepción del riesgo de consumo abusivo de alcohol en estudiantes.