The Use of Product Sampling and Advertising: Effects of Sequence of Exposure and Degree of Advertising Claim Exaggeration on Consumers’ Belief Strength, Belief Confidence, and Attitudes

Using Smith and Swinyard's integrated information response model as a theoretical foundation, the authors investigate the effects of sequence of exposure to exaggerated advertising and product sampling on subjects’ belief strength, belief confidence, attitude, and purchase intention toward a product. Consistent with the model's assumptions, belief and attitudinal confidence are found to be higher for subjects exposed to product sampling alone than for those exposed only to product advertising. Attitude change is significantly greater for subjects receiving an advertising-sample exposure sequence than for those exposed to the reverse sequence, supporting the model's contention that indirect product experiences create low order beliefs that are more susceptable to change than the higher order beliefs created by direct product experience. When the subjects received a negatively disconfirming experience, those who had been exposed to highly exaggerated advertisements had greater shifts in attitude than those exposed to slight exaggeration. This effect was greater for global attitude measures when the advertisement was highly exaggerated. Finally, measures of product attitude and behavioral intentions for subjects exposed to greatly exaggerated advertising in an advertisement-sampling sequence are found generally to be lower than those for subjects exposed to sampling alone, indicating a contrast effect.

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