| Products are often marketed in the context of brands from other categories. For example, advertising for automobiles might be presented in close proximity to advertising for a stereo system. The ubiquity of settings where target and context are products from different categories raises the question of what impact these settings will have on the evaluation of a target brand.;The literature on context effects have identified three different processes that context may influence target evaluations. Contextual information may guide the interpretation of the target stimulus. Second, contextual information could be used as a standard to be compared to the target. Third, consumers might become aware of the fact that their evaluations of the target had been influenced by context information.;The purpose of the current research is to investigate conditions under which interpretation, comparison, and correction processes operate when a different category product is primed. It is proposed that consumers' expertise of the target category and accessibility of contextual information determine whether interpretation, comparison, or correction process operates.;Expertise with regard to the target category determines whether a different category context is used as an interpretation frame or as a standard to be compared to the target. Experts evaluate the target by inferring the benefits implied by the target attributes. Contextual information may affect this process by increasing the likelihood of interpreting the target information consistent with the implications of context. Novices use a different processing strategy to evaluate the target. Contrary to experts, novices evaluate the target by comparing it to a standard. They may use a different category context as a standard to be compared to the target because they do not have access to other target category exemplars.;The accessibility of contextual information determines whether consumers correct for the influence of contextual information on evaluation of the target. Increased accessibility of contextual information prompts consumers to recognize the biasing influence of context. Correcting for the initial assimilative influence of context would result in a contrast effect if consumers overcorrect for the influence of context. |
