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name suggests, a trial purchase is just that: The consumer tries a brand for the first time. Be- Oly'actiw Setting and
cause most advertisements can simply hope to entice, enthuse, and whet one’s appetite—or, Billigflug
in general, create expectations—a more compelling mechanism is required for generating
trial purchases. And, indeed, this is the role of the sales promotions component of market-
NOTES
ing communications. Free samples and coupons are particularly effective devices for getting
consumers to try new brands of packaged goods. In the case of expensive durable products,
major price discounts and rebate offers are effective in encouraging a form of trial behavior
such as test-driving automobiles.

Forming Bellefs and Attitudes

Upon trying a brand for the first time, the consumer will form beliefs about its performance.
With respect to Pegetables, the beliefs may be thoughts such as, ”My dog really likes these
snacks, and, because they are made with real vegetables, they must be good for him." These
beliefs, in turn, form the basis for developing an overall attitude toward the brand. Beliefs
and attitudes are mutually reinforcing, as illustrated by the double-headed arrow linking
these two elements in Figure 5.1. If Pegetables lives up to the pet owner 's expectations, the
attitude toward that brand most likely will be positive; however, the attitude can be expected
to be somewhat ambivalent or even negative if the brand fails to satisfy the expected benefit
that motivated the trial purchase.

Reinforcing Beliefs and Attltudes

Once brand-specific beliefs and attitudes are formed as the outcomefmmfirsthand product usage
experience, subsequent marketing communications serve merely to reinforce the consumers’
beliefs and attitudes that resulted from trying the product. In Figure 5.1 this is referred to as
belief reinforcement and attitude reinforcement. The reinforcement objective is accomplished
when a marketing comrnunicator sticks with a particular promise and promotes this point
repeatedly.

Accompllshlng Brand Loyalty

As long as the brand continues to satisfy expectations and a superior brand is not introduced,
the consumer may become a brand-loyal purchaser. This is the ultimate objective, because,
as has been mentioned, it is much cheaper to retain present customers than it is to prospect
continuously for new ones.5
Brand loyalty is the top rung on the hierarchy of marcom effects (Figure 5.1). Loyalty is not
a guaranteed outcome, however. Strong brand loyalty occasionally develops. For example,
some consumers always purchase the same brand of cola; others forever smoke the same
brand of cigarette; and there are those who use the same brand of deodorant, toothpaste,
Shampoo, or even automobile. In many other instances, however, the consumer never forms
a strong preference for any brand. Rather, the consumer continually shifts his or her alle-
giance from one brand to the next, constantly trying, trying, and trying but never developing
a strong commitment to any particular brand. Consumer behavior can be like dating; some
people ”play the field" but never commit.
Brand loyalty is a goal to which the marketing communicator aspires. Obtaining the con-
sumer's loyalty necessitates meeting the consumer's needs better than competitive brands
and continuing to communicate the brand’s merits to reinforce the consumer’s brand-related
beliefs and attitudes. (See Figure 5.1 as a graphic reminder of this point.) It is interesting to
note, however, that the various marcom elements may be in conflict toward the goal of ac-
complishing brand loyalty. Whereas advertising has the desirable long-nm effect of making
consumers less price sensitive and more brand loyal, sales promotions can reduce loyalty
by effectively "training" consumers to be price sensitive and thus inclined to switch among
brands to avail thernseives of price discounts.“

Sectlon Summary
say-l……
It should be apparent from this discussion of marcom’s hierarchy of effects that the objective
Mami 89
for a brand’s marcom program at any point in time depends on where in the hierarchy con-

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