Limits of the effects of advertisement framing: The moderating effects of prior knowledge and involvement

Is advertisement framing a peripheral cue? Does consumers' prior knowledge of the advertised service cancel the effects of the advertisement framing? In order to answer these questions, a 2 (positive-vs.-negative framing) by 2 (low-vs.-high involvement) factorial design (N=117) was performed to assess the combined effects of framing and involvement attitudes( prior knowledge of the advertised service and involvement profile were assessed. Results show that framing affects attitudes mainly when consumers are under low involvement. High prior knowledge cancels the effects of framing whereas low prior knowledge enhances them. It is reasoned that framing is an peripheral cue which triggers cognitive processes on the peripheral route but cannot compensate for the lack of long-term involvement in the product or the lack of prior knowledge. Results are interpreted in terms of the averaging model of information integration and previous results by Levin and Gaeth (1988) and Maheswaran and Meyers-Levy (1990).