Field Dependency and Brand Cognitive Structures
Published 4/1/2009
Author: SHARON NG and MICHAEL J. HOUSTON
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Executive Summary
The research reported in this article examines the impact of field dependency on the way people structure brand information in memory. Field dependency refers to the extent to which a person pays attention to the environment and contextual information. Prior research shows that field independents are more likely to ignore contextual information and abstract overall evaluations from the experiences. Conversely, field dependents pay great attention to the context and tend to rely on contextual cues in their cognition and behavior. Building on this finding, this research proposes that differential attention to contextual information has important implications for the way information is stored in memory. Specifically, the authors argue that because field independents tend to extract information from the context, they are more likely to connect numerous products of a brand to the same brand belief. Conversely, because field dependents tend to store detailed, episodic information in memory, they are more likely to store product-specific information in memory and are less likely to generalize the same belief across numerous products by a brand. The authors further propose that this effect is moderated by level of expertise and that such differences have important implications for how people evaluate marketing communications such as advertisements.
The authors test their hypotheses in a series of five studies. Using the reaction time methodology, the first set of studies (Studies 1–3) test the proposed structural differences. Studies 1 and 2 provide evidence to support the contention that field dependents are more likely to generalize the same belief (e.g., good quality) to other products by a brand than field independents. Study 3 builds on the findings of Studies 1 and 2 to show that this difference is further moderated by a person’s level of expertise in the particular domain. Complementing the first set of studies, the second set of studies (Studies 4 and 5) examine the implications of such structural differences on consumers’ reactions to marketing communications. The authors find that, in general, field independents exhibit more favorable attitudes toward brand-level advertisements (i.e., advertisements that aim to build overall brand image), while field dependents exhibit more favorable attitude toward product level advertisements (i.e., advertisements that focus on specific products).
The findings from this research speak to the type of marketing strategies firms should employ for different target segments and in different cultures. For example, research in the cross-cultural literature has shown that, in general, Easterners are more field dependent than Westerners. As such, the findings from this research suggest that brand-level advertising is more appropriate for consumers in Western cultures than for those in Eastern cultures. Companies should consider adopting more product-specific advertisements when targeting Easterners. Recent advertisements seem to be moving toward a trend of developing abstract concepts about brands, without promoting specific products. The findings from this research indicate that such advertisements might not be suitable in Eastern cultures.
Biography
Sharon Ng is Assistant Professor of Marketing in the Nanyang Business School at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). She has a bachelor’s degree in Business (first class honors) from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and received her PhD from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management in 2004. Sharon’s research focuses primarily on the impact of culture on the way brand information is structured in memory and how people respond to brand extensions. In addition, she also examines cross-cultural differences in other aspects of consumer behavior, such as counterfactual thinking, impatience, and fairness perception. Her research has been published in Journal of Consumer Research and Journal of Marketing Research.
Michael J. Houston is Ecolab-Pierson M. Grieve Chair in International Marketing and Associate Dean of International Programs in the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He holds a BS, an MS, and a PhD degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. His research focuses on culture and consumer behavior and branding issues. Professor Houston’s research has appeared in a variety of journals, including Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Research, and Journal of Marketing. Professor Houston is a former editor of the Journal of Marketing Research.
J Marketing Research, Volume 46, Number 2, April 2009
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