Article Abstract

"When Can Affective Conditioning and Mere Exposure Directly Influence Brand Choice?"
|by William E. Baker - Journal of Advertising, Vol. 28, 4, pp 31-46.

Affective conditioning and mere exposure are two methods that advertisers can use to increase positive feelings towards the brand. Affective conditioning, similar to classical conditioning, increases positive feelings to the brand by pairing it with pleasing visuals, personalities, music etc. These types of pairing already occur frequently in image advertising. Mere exposure is a phenomenon that increases comfort with the brand through mere repetition of the brand name. As the number of brand name exposures increase, consumers feel more comfortable with the brand and are more likely to approach it. The implications are straightforward. Advertisers should maximize the number of times the brand name is flashed on the screen during television advertising and also maximize the number of brand name exposures vis a vis Internet banner advertising, sponsorships, packaging, transit advertising, etc. In the past, advertising experts believed that the effects of both affective conditioning and mere exposure were only likely to directly influence brand choice when consumers were uninvolved with the brand choice (i.e., when consumers are not motivated to search for specific brand information). As expected, this study demonstrated strong effects on choice when consumers were uninvolved. It also, however, demonstrated equally strong effects when consumers were highly involved with the brand choice, but brands 'tied' on performance characteristics. Effects disappeared only when one brand was clearly superior to another brand and consumers were highly involved with the choice decision.

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