Evaluation and associations: A neural-network model of advertising and consumer choice

We propose a neurally motivated network model of advertising where advertisements create complementarities among the directly observable attributes of a product, allowing a brand to obtain social value. The formalization of this process allows us to examine the indirect effects of advertising in addition to how ads might affect the decision utility of a product. We focus mainly on the externalities, both positive (spillovers) and negative (dilution), predicted by this model.