How Individuals Develop Brand Evaluations in Different Contextscthe Relative Impacts of Affect, Self-Relevant Thoughts, and Product-Attribute Thoughts

ABSTRACT - This study is an examination of the impacts of affect, self-relevant thoughts, and product attribute thoughts for high-involved and low-involved participants in positive and negative affective conditions. Results indicate that context-induced emotions exert a direct impact on brand evaluations when participants are both in positive affective states and not highly involved with the advertised product category. On the other hand, context-induced emotions, either positive or negative, exert an indirect impact on participants’ brand evaluations via priming affect-congruent attribute-related thoughts when participants are highly involved with the product category. Self-relevant thoughts determine brand evaluations under all conditions except the condition in which participants are both highly involved and their affective states are negative. In addition, product attribute thoughts affect brand evaluations only when participants are highly involved. Finally, this study also shows that an interaction between ontext-induced emotions and self-referencing emerges under all conditions except the condition in which participants are relatively less involved and their affective states are negative. Theoretical bases for these findings were also provided.

Citation:

Chingching Chang (2005) ,"How Individuals Develop Brand Evaluations in Different Contextscthe Relative Impacts of Affect, Self-Relevant Thoughts, and Product-Attribute Thoughts", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32, eds. Geeta Menon and Akshay R. Rao, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 106-111.