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청소년의 새로운 상품 수용의 결정 요인에 관한 탐색 연구김광수 / 고려대 신문방송학과 부교수, 마케팅커뮤니케이션학박사 오주섭 / 고려대 신문방송학과 박사과정
소비자들이 새로운 상품을 수용할 때 중요한 요인은 무엇인가? 본 연구는 소비자의 혁신성과 광고 및 구전 커뮤니케이션 자극을 중요한 결정 요인으로 제안한다. 이들의 역할을 브랜드 구매의 주요 통로인 브랜드 인지와 태도의 틀 안에서 살폈다. 구체적으로는 청소년의 콜라 수용에 대한 필드 연구를 통해, 혁신성은 싫증 회피, 쾌락 추구, 위험 부담이라는 다차원으로 구성되어 있음을 밝혔다. 그리고 혁신성을 비롯하여 광고 및 구전 태도가 브랜드 태도의 형성에 긍정적인 영향을 끼쳤음을 확인했다. 혁신성은 신상품의 구매 시도에는 직접적인 영향을 끼치는 못했지만 브랜드 태도를 통한 간접적 영향을 검증할 수 있었다. 브랜드 태도 이외에 해당 상품군의 소비량도 신상품의 구매 시도에 유의미한 영향을 끼쳤다. 이러한 결과는 신상품의 수용 과정에 내재하는 소비자의 선택을 이해하고 광고 효과가 발생하는 기제를 탐색하는데 유용할 것으로 기대한다.
1. Research purposeFew things are as fundamental to the consumer research as the adoption of new products since a new product introduction has been a critical strategy for companies seeking growth and profitability. In areas with rapid technological advances, the majority of sales are likely to result from recently developed products. Cellular phones, compact discs, and computers probably best exemplifies this perspective. Likewise, the success of frequently purchased goods heavily rely on the introduction of new products(Menon & Kahn, 1995). Frito-Lay is good at coming up with new products which is essential to keep the lead in the snack food business(Alsop & Abrams, 1986). Proctor & Gamble has also maintained its leading position in detergent products by introducing new brands such as Cheer, Gain, Bold 3, Dash, Dreft, Oxydol, Era, and Solo(Aaker, 1991) The spread of new products, however, is risky because an average of 35% of it tends to fail(Kotler, 1984). The majority of products are not easily adopted by consumers and diffused across different segments because newer products may be perceived as more risky and consumers must be convinced(Aggarwal, Cha, & Wilemon, 1998). The Coca Cola company, for instance, introduced a new Coke in late April 1985 in replace of the original Coke. Less than three months later, its decision had to be reversed because of strong aversion among loyal drinkers of Classic Coke(Peter & Olson, 1994). Thus, the study of how and why consumers adopt new products in their choices has long been a major focus of interest. This paper tries to examine the process in terms of following aspects. First, adoption can be specified at three levels in product purchase(Midgley and Dowling, 1978): a specific single product, a specific product category, and across a number of product categories. While these levels are distinct, the previous research have mostly dealt with the latter two types(Steenkamp and Baumgartner, 1992). Since marketers are primarily concerned about the adoption of a brand rather than product categories, this study looks at the first type of innovative behavior as a major dependent variable. Second, this study proposes to combine the factors from the dimensions of consumer and communications. The personal traits have been suggested to explain the diffusion of innovations. In particular, this study includes innovativeness as a critical propensity, which underlies in the trial of new products(Rogers 1983; Midgley and Dowling, 1978). Furthermore, there are few studies to integrate mass and interpersonal communication influences(Chaffee & Mutz, 1988). Thus, word-of-mouth as well as advertising are included as major communication factors. Lastly, we explore the determinants of adoption behavior in a field study with a hope to enhance the generalizations of the findings. By selecting a new product of soft drink, introduced in Korea by a local manufacturer, we could explore the paths of adoption among teens, one of primary target markets. Since the data has been collected right after the introduction, the study could help to establish the ecological validity of the related constructs. |
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