Myungwoo Nam, Brian Sternthal
Four studies support the conclusion that the evaluation of a target brand is influenced by its presentation in the context of advertising for brands from a different category. The specific effect of context depends on the decision maker's expertise in the target category and the accessibility of contextual information. In a base condition, experts exhibited an assimilation effect and novices a comparison contrast. Increasing the accessibility of the contextual information prompted a correction contrast effect among experts and an assimilation effect among novices. A reduction in the resources available for processing the highly accessible contextual information resulted in experts engaging in assimilation and in novices exhibiting a comparison contrast. These findings are explained in terms of an interpretation and a comparison judgment process. © 2008 by Journal of Consumer Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Department of Marketing, INSEAD, Asia Campus, Singapore 138676, 1 Ayer Rajah Avenue, Singapore; Department of Marketing, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
