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Not Buying It: Marketing Messages May Not Work In Uncommon Situations

Date:
September 15, 2008
Source:
University of Chicago Press Journals
Summary:
Marketers like to talk about "priming" goals -- or sending subtle messages to encourage consumption. For example, thirsty people who encounter ads related to thirst tend to buy more beverages. But a surprising new study reveals that goal priming can backfire, especially when consumers are in uncommon situations.
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Marketers like to talk about "priming" goals—or sending subtle messages to encourage consumption. For example, thirsty people who encounter ads related to thirst tend to buy more beverages.

But a surprising new study in the Journal of Consumer Research reveals that goal priming can backfire, especially when consumers are in uncommon situations.

Authors Juliano Laran (University of Miami), Chris Janiszewski (University of Florida, Gainesville), and Marcus Cunha, Jr. (University of Washington, Seattle) examined the phenomenon called "goal priming," and its opposite: "anti-priming."

"A priming effect occurs when active information influences people's behavior," explain the authors. "For example, a consumer exposed to information related to impressing others (e.g., a brand slogan containing the word "excellence") may become more likely to buy expensive products that are symbols of status. Anti-priming effects occur when the use of goal primes backfire and lead to the opposite effects of those intended by the priming cues."

During the course of the study, the researchers stimulated goals in undergraduate participants by having them unscramble sentences. Some of the sentences related to having fun, some to impressing others, and some had neutral sentences. After their goals were primed, participants chose restaurants—although they did not know the tasks were related. When participants were planning a dinner for that night (a common situation), they chose restaurants consistent with the primed goals. In a less common situation (choosing a restaurant for a dinner a month from now), people who were primed for fun or impressing others were less likely to choose a corresponding restaurant. Subsequent studies yielded similar results: In familiar situations, priming goals worked; in uncommon ones, the goal priming backfired.

The authors believe that marketers should be aware of the effects of priming and anti-priming. "The implication of these findings is that retailers should understand the amount of experience consumers have with certain choice situations before using priming as a marketing tool to influence consumers," they conclude.


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Materials provided by University of Chicago Press Journals. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Laran et al. Context‐Dependent Effects of Goal Primes. Journal of Consumer Research, December 2008; 080903145911546 DOI: 10.1086/592127

Cite This Page:

University of Chicago Press Journals. "Not Buying It: Marketing Messages May Not Work In Uncommon Situations." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 September 2008. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080915170749.htm>.
University of Chicago Press Journals. (2008, September 15). Not Buying It: Marketing Messages May Not Work In Uncommon Situations. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 29, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080915170749.htm
University of Chicago Press Journals. "Not Buying It: Marketing Messages May Not Work In Uncommon Situations." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080915170749.htm (accessed March 29, 2024).

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