Product knowledge: Causal inferences about its effect on advertisement processing and persuasion

This study examines the role of prior product knowledge as a determinant of how consumers respond to brand advertising. The effect of knowledge on persuasion was also examined in conjunction with two other widely studied variables in the literature--processing involvement and argument quality. Another objective was to develop procedures to manipulate consumer knowledge in a laboratory setting.;Differences were hypothesized between novice and higher knowledge consumers in brand-related thinking which occurs during ad processing--in terms of amount of thought, level of abstraction and origin of thought, and valence of thought. Higher knowledge consumers were found more likely to counterargue advertisement claims that were discrepant from their prior knowledge, and to generate different types of thought processes. In turn, higher knowledge consumers were more likely to rely on their brand-related thoughts in forming attitudes. Novice consumers were more likely to rely on their ad-related thoughts, especially under low involvement.;Higher knowledge subjects were also found to be simultaneously more resistant and susceptible to the persuasive intent of the advertising claims. When exposed to strong claims, higher knowledge subjects reported more favorable thoughts and attitudes than novices. For weak claims, higher knowledge consumers responded more negatively than novices. These differences were also found to be diminished when processing involvement was lower.;Confidence in one's ability to evaluate a brand was shown to interact with prior product knowledge in moderating the extent to which brand attitude was based on brand-related thought. For higher knowledge consumers, greater confidence enhanced the power of brand-related thought to predict brand attitude. For novices, confidence did not have such an effect.;It was concluded that prior product knowledge plays an influential role in moderating persuasion processes. Further, knowledge interacts with involvement such that the influence of knowledge on persuasion not only depends on the level of processing involvement, but knowledge also moderates the widely studied impact of involvemnt on persuasion.