선호 강도가 선호 불일치정보에 대한 소비자 반응에 미치는 영향 : 사전지식과 메시지 강도의 조절효과

This study examines whether preference strength, consumers' prior knowledge, and argument strength affect consumers' responses to preference-inconsistent information (e.g., support argumentation, counterargumentation, and brand switching intention). That is, the present research looks into the effect of preference strength (strong preference vs. weak preference) on consumers' responses to information incongruent with prior preference. We also examine the moderating effects of consumers' prior knowledge and argument strength. The results from our experiment indicate that when consumers have strong (vs. weak) preference, (1) they are likely to show more counterargumentation, less support argumentation, and lower brand switching intention; (2) there is statistically significant difference in consumers' responses (i.e., cognitive responses and brand switching intention) to counterattitudinal message between experts and novices (i.e., there exists an interaction effect between preference strength and consumers' prior knowledge); and (3) there is also statistically significant difference in consumers' responses (i.e., cognitive responses and brand switching intention) to counterattitudinal message between strong and weak arguments (i.e., there exists an interaction effect between preference strength and argument strength). On the basis of the results, theoretical and managerial implications, limitations, and directions for further research are discussed.