Autobiographical Memories, Affect, and Consumer Information Processing

The results of three experiments suggest that consumers' autobiographical memories involving products and product usage experiences are affectively charged. Furthermore, the three experiments demonstrate that the retrieval of autobiographical memories impacts information processing. When autobiographical memories are evoked, there is reduced analysis of product information. There is also clear evidence that cuing autobiographical memories influences ad evaluations. Support for the notion that the affect generated by cuing autobiographical memories influences brand evaluations is weaker. Also, the results demonstrate that autobiographical memories are naturally and spontaneously evoked in response to some types of ads and generate feelings of empathy for the characters and situations in the ad. Thus, together the experiments suggest an avenue for impacting consumer judgments that has not been investigated previously.