Reexamining and extending the dual mediation hypothesis in an on‐line advertising context

The relationship between attitude toward the advertisement (A ad ) and intentions to buy (I b ) is a controversial one. The present research examines the potential for a direct relationship between A ad and I b within an on‐line advertising context, substituting A site (attitude toward the Web site) for A ad . The article replicates previous findings with respect to the four competing A ad models they tested. The article then predicts and finds a significant A site → I b path based on an opportunity and motivation perspective. In terms of opportunity, Web sites contain nonproduct information that is independent of traditional measures of brand attitude (A b ), such as security, ease of use, transactional capabilities, which are likely to affect I b . Further, on‐line consumers are motivated to process this information when they visit a Web site because they cannot directly examine the products they are considering. Evidence for the opportunity and motivation perspective is provided by the decomposition of A site into its claim and non‐claim components and assessment of the A site → I b path across levels of motivation to process. Implications for on‐line advertisers are discussed.