How individual develop brand evaluations in different contexts-The relative impacts of affect self-relevant thoughts and product attribute thoughts

Abstract

This study is an examination of the impacts of affect, selfrelevant thoughts, and product attribute thoughts for high-involved and low-involved participants in positive and negative affective conditions. Results indicate that context-induced emotions exert a direct impact on brand evaluations when participants are both in positive affective states and not highly involved with the advertised product category. On the other hand, context-induced emotions, either positive or negative, exert an indirect impact on participants’brand evaluations via priming affect-congruent attribute-related thoughts when participants are highly involved with the product category. Self-relevant thoughts determine brand evaluations under all conditions except the condition in which participants are both highly involved and their affective states are negative. In addition, product attribute thoughts affect brand evaluations only when participants are highly involved. Finally, this study also shows that an interaction between context-induced emotions and self-referencing emerges under all conditions except the condition in which participants are relatively less involved and their affective states are negative. Theoretical bases for these findings were also provided.