Robin J. Tanner

Nonconscious Goals and Consumer Choice

This work examines the process through which thrift versus prestige goals can nonconsciously affect decisions in a choice task. Drawing upon research on nonconscious goal pursuit, we present a theoretical framework detailing how consumer choices are affected by incidentally activated goals. We show that such primed goals have motivational properties consistent with goal pursuit but inconsistent with mere cognitive activation; the effects are greater with a longer time interval between the priming task and the choice and are less pronounced when the primed goal is satiated in a real, as opposed to a hypothetical, intervening choice task. Additionally, we show that subliminally evoked retail brand names can serve as the cues that activate purchasing goals.

Of Chameleons and Consumption: The Impact of Mimicry on Choice and Preferences

This article investigates the effect of mimicry on consumer product consumption and appraisal. We propose and test two paths via which mimicry may influence product preferences. In the mimicking consumer path, we suggest that individuals automatically mimic the consumption behaviors of other people and that such mimicry then affects preferences toward the product(s) consumed. In the mimicked consumer path, we argue that being mimicked leads to increased prosociality, which affects preferences for products presented in dyadic interactions. Three studies confirm the two paths and suggest that mimicry can indeed influence product preferences.

Unrealistically Optimistic Consumers: A Selective Hypothesis Testing Account for Optimism in Predictions of Future Behavior

We propose that when predicting future behavior, consumers selectively (but unwittingly) test the hypothesis that they will behave ideally. This selective hypothesis testing perspective on unrealistic optimism suggests that estimates of future behavior should be similar to those made by individuals who assume that conditions will be ideal. Moreover, consumers who initially provide estimates assuming that conditions will be ideal should recognize that the world is not ideal and so should test a more realistic hypothesis. In line with these predictions, we find that ideal-world estimates (e.g., In an ideal world, how often will you exercise next week?) do not differ from standard estimates (e.g., How often will you exercise next week?). We also find that individuals who initially estimate their behavior in an ideal world subsequently make more realistic predictions. (c) 2008 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..

A Tiger and a President: Imperceptible Celebrity Facial Cues Influence Trust and Preference

Neuroscientific research suggests that the brain has evolved specific capabilities enabling automatic social judgments of others to be made based on facial properties alone. However, little research in marketing has considered the consequences of how facial imagery is automatically processed. We explore automatic perceptions of familiarity by using morphing software to digitally combine unfamiliar faces with those of Tiger Woods and George Bush. Despite a complete lack of conscious recognition, trustworthiness ratings of the composite faces are clearly influenced by the celebrities in question. This appears to be due to implicit recognition being sufficient for individuals to automatically access their own summary valence judgments of either Woods or Bush. Alternative explanations based on a perceptual-fluency account, or implicit recognition sufficient to perceive specific trait ratings, are ruled out. These findings suggest that the marketing practice of digitally manipulating the attractiveness of facial imagery risks overlooking the important influence of familiarity.

Conservative When Crowded: Social Crowding and Consumer Choice

Does the mere crowdedness of the environment affect peoples choices and preferences? In six studies, the authors show that social crowdedness not only leads to greater accessibility of safety-related constructs but also results in greater preference for safety-oriented options (e.g., preferring to visit a pharmacy to a convenience store), being more receptive to prevention- (rather than promotion-) framed messages, and being more risk averse with real money gambles. In support of the authors’ underlying avoidance motivation perspective, these effects are mediated by participants’ net prevention focus and are attenuated when the crowd in question consists of in-group members. The authors close by discussing the practical and theoretical implications of the results.

Synergy or Interference: The Effect of Product Placement on Commercial Break Audience Decline

Recent years have seen a considerable rise in the use of product placement in television shows. Taking advantage of second-by-second product placement, advertising, and audience tuning data, this research explores the impact of such product placement on the extent to which viewers tune away from downstream advertisements. Motivated by the behavioral priming literature, we examine how this impact relates to the brand-and category-match between product placement and subsequent advertising, as well as the temporal distance between them. Our analysis suggests that the coveted first position of a commercial break holds a greater audience when preceded by product placement from the same brand. This indicates a positive synergy between the two activities that can reduce audience decline by more than 10%. Product placements by other brands, however, can actually exacerbate audience loss, thus interfering with the reach of advertisements by competitors. Significantly, these changes in audience size are not temporary, but are retained across the remaining commercials in the same break. We discuss the managerial implications of these findings and directions for future research in the rapidly changing media landscape.