Interactive Effects of Habitual Cuing and Media Features on Evaluation: A Dual-Process Model

Abstract

Consumers tend to express positive attitudes toward communication sources that reflect their predispositions toward these sources, that is, their habitual cuing. To move beyond the effects of communication sources such as advertising, word of mouth (WOM), and critical reviews, this article applies a dual-process model to determine how the interaction of habitual cuing and the media features of a movie influence evaluations of movie advertising. Six quasi-experimental designs and an analysis of variance to assess the data indicate that greater cultural discount of an original movie leads to more favorable consumer evaluations when the habitual cuing has come through WOM rather than reviews; numbered sequels also gain favorable evaluations as a result of forward spillover effects or reduced satiation. Finally, for named sequels, consumers exhibit more favorable evaluations when habitual cuing comes through reviews rather than WOM.

Notes

The author is indebted to the editor and anonymous referee for providing valuable comments and suggestions. This research was supported by the National Science Council of the Republic of China under Grant NSC 99-2410-H-130-025.