Affect and the Inhibition of Competing Brands

This research examines the role played by affect in the recall inhibition of competing brands in a product category. The results indicate that the affective component of overall brand attitudes has a greater ability to inhibit the recall of competing brands in a category than the evaluative component. This suggests that the affective component may play a greater role in brand accessibility than the evaluative component. From a methodological viewpoint, the recall inhibition effect is proposed as a useful method to study brand affect without forcing subjects into cognitive memory processes.