Robert E. Smith, Integrating Information from Advertising and Trial: Processes and Effects on Consumer Response to Product Information, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 30, No. 2 (May, 1993), pp. 204-219

Information integration theory and the integrated information response model are used to explore how consumers combine information from advertising and trial. Also investigated is the ability of attitude toward the ad to mediate advertising's effects on brand cognitions and brand attitudes after trial. An experiment is conducted in which three independent variables are manipulated: the information source (ad only, trial only, and ad plus trial), information sequence (ad/trial and trial/ad), and favorability of trial (positive and negative). Results show that (1) advertising can lessen the negative effects of an unfavorable trial experience on brand evaluations, especially when the ad is processed first, (2) when negative trial precedes exposure to advertising, cognitive evaluations of the ad are more negative, (3) the ability of ad attitudes to influence brand cognitions and brand attitudes is significantly reduced after trial, and (4) the ability of brand cognitions to influence brand attitudes is significantly increased after trial. Implications for advertising research and practice are discussed.

A major goal of this study is to develop and test a structural model of trial processing to help marketers and researchers better understand the dynamics of this important stage in the purchase process. No such model exists, even though prior research has demonstrated that product trial can be an important determinant of brand beliefs and attitudes. Accordingly, the authors develop a general model of how consumers process and respond to trial experiences. This trial model then is integrated with a well-known advertising model to trace how (1) consumers react when both types of information are available and (2) advertising achieves its influence on trial perceptions. The authors estimate these models for two products that vary significantly in the diagnosticity of the trial experience and discuss implications for marketing research and practice.

Deanna S. Kempf, Robert E. Smith, Consumer Processing of Product Trial and the Influence of Prior Advertising: A Structural Modeling Approach, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 35, No. 3 (Aug., 1998), pp. 325-338

The role of direct versus indirect experience in the attitude-behavior consistency issue is reviewed. Using a new communications model, the authors extend the direct/indirect experience paradigm to a common marketing scenario: product trial versus product advertising. The specific contributions of attitude strength and type of behavior are examined, and results show that when attitudes are based on trial they predict purchase very well. When attitudes are based on advertising, however, attitude-behavior consistency is significantly reduced. Implications for when attitude models should be applied in marketing research and practice are discussed.

The role of direct versus indirect experience in the attitude-behavior consistency issue is reviewed. Using a new communications model, the authors extend the direct/indirect experience paradigm to...