Cognitive Consequences of Brand Loyalty

This study examined part of the belief structure of brand-loyal consumers asked to evaluate their own and a competing brand. Consistency theory predictions were derived relative to attitude structure associated with commitment (brand loyalty). Product reevaluation was seen, in part, as the result of a consumer's desire to restructure his beliefs so as to avoid cognitive dilemmas caused by competing products perceived as meeting the same product function equally well. Dissonance theory has proven to be a valuable source of hypotheses and insights regarding variables important in the process of decision making 3. It is especially useful in interrelating pre- and postdecision processes and specifying differences in goals, states of mind, and behavior between these two stages 1. The many implications of the theory for consumer decision making should be developed and tested, ideally against competing models 3, 4.