Product placement in TV shows is becoming increasingly common, yet little is known about its effectiveness nor even how to define and measure such effectiveness. This research examined the effectiveness of product placement with the use of two different types of measures: explicit measures that tap memory directly (with the use of a recognition and recall task), and an implicit measure that measures the effect of exposure on product choice indirectly. It was hypothesized that the ability of product placement to enhance memory and choice may be mediated by distinct mechanisms. The results showed an overall enhancement in product recall, recognition, and choice due to placement. Further, although products central to the plot were remembered and recalled more than products placed more subtly, no reliable effect of centrality of placement was observed on the choice measure. This dissociation also occurred with modality of placement-where seen-only products most influenced choice but were least recalled. The present data conform to theories of memory, which predict that performance on explicit memory task can be dissociated or uncorrelated with performance on implicit performance or choice. This finding has significant implications for how product placements are designed and how their efficacy evaluated.

In the present research, we propose relationship norms as a moderator of the specific information-processing strategy adopted by consumers when evaluating a brand. Two types of relationships are examined: communal relationships, in which concern for a partner's need is paramount, and exchange relationships, in which a matched benefit is expected back from the partner. Across three studies, we test the hypothesis that norms of a communal relationship lead to brand attributes being evaluated at a higher level of abstraction relative to those of an exchange relationship. Dependent variables ranging from product evaluations, memory measures, and feature listings provide converging evidence to support the overall hypothesis. (c) 2005 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..

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Repetition of brand claims is frequently used to promote the learning of brand-related information. Using dual component models of recognition memory, the author examines whether repetition, in the face of repetitions by similar competitors, might paradoxically increase memory confusion. In Experiment 1, the repetition of similar claims of equally familiar competitor brands produced two opposing effects: It increased memory for accurate claim recognition but also elevated brand claim confusion among advertised competitors. The pattern of results was similar when memory was tested a week after the initial exposure. In Experiment 2, in which participants were required to engage in a task designed to promote the “binding” between a brand and its claim, the memory confusion effects of repetition were significantly reduced. Finally, Experiment 3 replicated and generalized these findings by using more realistic stimuli and procedures. Thus, across three studies, the evidence strongly suggests that the confusion-elevating effects of repetition are a result of weak binding between memory for brand and claims.