THE EFFECTS OF PRODUCT EXPERIENCES ON ATTITUDES TOWARD THE BRAND, A PRODUCTS COUNTRY OF ORIGIN AND COMPETITOR BRANDS

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate how product experiences with a new product affect consumers attitudes toward the brand, the products country of origin (CO), and the other brands competing in the same market place. The dissertation is composed of two essays. Using direct product experiences involving real brands, the first essay demonstrates that good experiences with new products have a larger positive impact on attitudes toward low equity brands and COs compared to identical experiences with exemplars of high equity brands and COs. In contrast, bad experiences lead to more pronounced negative changes in attitudes toward high equity (vs. low equity) brands and COs. Employing a three-wave longitudinal design, it is demonstrated that the change in attitude toward the brand persists over time and beyond the experimental context. This essay further reveals that the final attitudes toward the brand and CO are determined primarily by the consistency of the new experience with the brand or CO equity, whereas the weight accorded to the new product experience relative to existing attitudes does not seem to play an important role in the process.Relying on the inclusion-exclusion model developed in the social judgment literature, the second essay shows that experiences with another brand (X) may transfer to attitudes toward a target brand (Y) in two distinct ways: inter-brand assimilation or inter-brand contrast. When both competitor brands are known to be from the same CO and this information is made salient to consumers, an assimilation effect will occur such that attitudes toward the target brand Y will be congruent with the valence of the experience with brand X. Hence, a good experience with brand X benefits brand Y, whereas a bad experience with brand X hurts brand Y. On the other hand, when the common origin is not salient or when the brands are from different COs, a contrast effect will occur such that attitudes toward brand Y will be incongruent with the valence of the experience with brand X. Thus, a good experience with brand X may hurt brand Y and a bad experience with brand X helps brand Y. I also examine what types of competitive strategies can be undertaken by brand Y in order to share brand Xs success, avoid being associated with brand X failure, or even benefit from brand Xs failure. Similarly, I investigate what brand X can do to prevent a competitor brand Y from taking advantage of its success or benefiting from its failure. The implications for marketers and consumers are discussed.