The Potential Implications of Web-Based Marketing Communications for Consumers' Implicit and Explicit Brand Attitudes: A Call for Research

Two developments in the last two decades frame the importance of Web-based marketing communications for firms. First is the phenome­ nal growth of the Internet as a viable commerce and communication option and second is the clear shift in attitude research toward recog­ nizing the pervasive role of automatic processes in almost all the social psychological processes. Therefore, this article discusses the potential implications of Web-based marketing communications for consumers’ implicit and explicit attitudes. In doing so, first, this article reviews the emergence of research on implicit attitudes, distinguishes implicit atti­ tudes from explicit attitudes, and discusses research on explicit and implicit attitudes relative to branding. Second, a brief discussion of marketing research on attitude is provided. Third, five empirically testable research propositions are developed and presented. Finally, concludes with a call for research. given the potential implications for research and practice, the article THE POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS OF WEB-BASED MARKETING Two developments in the last two decades frame the importance of Web-based marketing communications for firms. First is the phenomenal growth of the Internet as a viable commerce and communication option. Specifically, online retail sales are estimated at $100 billion for 2006, with travel bringing in an addi­ tional $70 billion (Comscore, 2006). In keeping with the growth of the retail e-commerce, firms have begun to spend more on Web-based marketing com­ munications. For example, ZenithOptomedia projects that the Internet’s share of worldwide total ad spending will increase from 5.8% in 2006 to 8.6% in 2009 (eMarketer, 2006). Thus, the Internet as an advertising medium is becoming prominent in the marketing communication mix. Specific to the U.S., Internet ad spending is estimated at $23.8 billion in 2008. Given the pace at which the Internet is changing and is becoming accessible to consumers worldwide, firms will have to continue to invest in Web-based marketing and marketing communications. However, firms’ efforts to make their Web-based marketing communications more efficient and/or effective will entail staying current with cutting-edge research investigating Web-based marketing communications. There have been several significant contributions over the last decade (e.g., Briggs & Hollis, 1997; Burke, 2002; Chatterjee, Hoffman, & Novak, 2003; Day, Shyi, &Wang, 2006; Elliot & Speck, 2005; Karson & Fisher, 2005a, 2005b; Kim & Lennon, 2008; Kimelfeld & Watt, 2001; Luk, Chan, & Li, 2002; Manchanda et al., 2006; Park, Lennon, & Stoel, 2005). Among other things, these research studies have estab­ lished relationships such as the influence of Web-based marketing communi­ cations on attitude toward an ad, attitude toward a Web site, brand attitude, brand awareness, brand image, mood, purchase intention, and selling perform­ ance. Recently, Kim and Lennon (2008) found that, on the Internet, verbal (descriptive) marketing communication may be superior to visual marketing communication in influencing attitudes. Furthermore, some of the research studies established the relationships between attitude toward the Web-based ad and attitude toward the brand (Karson & Fisher, 2005a; Kimelfeld & Watt, 2001) and between attitude toward the Web site and attitude toward the brand (Karson & Fisher, 2005b). This brings us to the second development in the last two decades that has implications for Web-based marketing communications: research on implicit atti­ tude. Recent theories in psychology recognize the existence of two different attitudes toward the same object at the same time, one that is explicit and one that is implicit (Wilson, Lindsey, & Schooler, 2000). Implicit attitudes are eval­ uative responses toward social objects that, unlike explicit attitudes, are not necessarily subject to introspection (Wänke et al., 2002); that is, individuals may not be aware of their implicit attitudes. However, such implicit attitudes hold great potential to guide spontaneous behavior (Fazio & Towles-Schwen, 1999; Wilson, Lindsey, & Schooler, 2000). Furthermore, Greenwald and Banaji (1995) assert that such implicit attitudes could have a valence quite different from that of the explicit attitudes of the actor. Such disassociations highlight the value of examining implicit attitudes and, hence, could potentially be useful in explaining the low predictive validity of explicit attitudes. In addition, the use of indirect measures avoids the need to assume that the sub­ jects have the ability and motivation to report attitudes accurately (Greenwald & Banaji, 1995) and also have the potential to reveal unique components of attitude that reside outside conscious awareness and control (Banaji, 2001). Therefore, the