When Can Affective Conditioning and Mere Exposure Directly Influence Brand Choice?

Abstract The purpose of this research is to identify the circumstances, if any, in which affective conditioning (AC) and mere exposure (ME) based advertising strategies can directly influence brand choice. In an experimental setting, affective conditioning and mere exposure procedures were applied to unknown brands in two product categories. Advertising employing AC and ME was not successful against known, well-established competitors. It was, however, successful against other unknown competitors if (1) these competitors did not have superior performance characteristics or (2) the motivation to deliberate at the time of brand choice was low. The research also suggests that an ME advertising strategy can be as successful as an AC strategy. This is important because an ME strategy is easier to execute. It also suggests that advertisers should place a higher priority on maximizing the prominence of the brand name and package in advertisements.