TYPE OF PRIOR PROCESSING INFLUENCES SUBSEQUENT FORCED CHOICE PURCHASING BEHAVIOR

Abstract

Product purchasing behavior includes an initial exposure to a brand name product and a cognitive process that leads to the ultimate purchase of the brand name product. This study looks at the cognitive processes that occur between initial exposure to a brand name product and the final purchasing behavior. To represent initial exposure to the brand name products, participants read a short story in which 24 brand name products were placed. Next, participants were either given a semantic comparison task or an elaboration task. The semantic comparison task asked participants to focus on individual attributes of the brand name products and the elaboration task asked participants to think about the relationship between the brand name products and the context of their own life. After participants completed either the semantic comparison task or the elaboration task, they were presented with a two-alternative forced choice task in which they were forced to “purchase” one of the two brand name products that were presented. Participants were more likely to purchase the product if that product had been seen in the story and then cued in the semantic comparison task as compared to when that product was seen in the story and then studied in a self referential way. Forced choice purchasing behavior was also influenced by participants’ attitudes towards the notion of products being placed in the story. Participants with a negative attitude actually avoided the products that were placed in the story. It was concluded that the manner in which brand name products are cognitively processed can potentially influence a buyer’s purchasing behavior. In particular, processing individual attributes of brand name products is an important precursor to final purchasing behavior.