The influence of mass communication and time on satisfaction and loyalty

This paper reports research on the impact of mass communication and the passage of time on consumer satisfaction and loyalty in a high‐involvement service setting. The study was based on a survey of two groups of individuals. A short‐time lag group consisted of individuals who were surveyed immediately after receiving a service and one year later. A long‐time lag group consisted of individuals who were surveyed immediately after they received a service and two years later. Satisfaction and loyalty decreased from the initial time of the service encounter for both the short‐time and long‐time groups. While satisfaction and loyalty declined over time for both groups, the results revealed no difference in the change in satisfaction between the two groups. In addition, exposure to mass communication did not influence the change in satisfaction and intention to return over time.