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6. DiscussionThis study tries to develop a model to incorporate various determinants to explain the adoption of new products. This framework includes innate personal drive and external marketing communications. Since the adoption of new products is critical in public communication campaigns as well as marketing, the findings will help to develop efficient and effective communication strategies. It also provides a basis regarding consumer behavior by exploring the relationship between innovativeness and a trial of new products. The construct of innovativeness has the following subfactors: avoidance of satiation, risk taking, and hedonism. Among them, avoidance of satiation and hedonism factors were found to be influential in forming brand attitude. The adoption of new products is related to the variety-seeking behavior in that consumers are satiated with existing products and seek different choices of services or goods. Hirschman(1980), for example, defined innovativeness as the desire to seek out the new and different. Thus, she essentially conceptualized it as inherent novelty seeking. But it should be clarified that adoption emphasizes on the purchase or trial of a new product while variety seeking is a reduction in the repeat purchase probability(Kahn, Kalwani, & Morrison 1986). And the hedonism factor might help to distinguish aspect of innovativeness from variety-seeking. The former is based on the proactive desire, seeking stimulation. On the other hand, the latter is more predisposed toward the reactive inherent nature. This distinction between two behaviors should be dealt with additional future research. It is a necessary step to acquire widespread exposure to a new brand, since campaigns have virtually no chance of success without the requisite amount of exposure (Rimal, Flora, & Schooler, 1999). Many health communication campaigns were found to increase the level of awareness, yet only a few were able to relate its effects to behavioral change(Yanovitzky & Stryker, 2001). The finding of this study supports the importance of mass media and face-to-face communications. The innovativeness appears to have an impact on the attitude formation of a new product rather than the trial of a new product. This may be explained due to the level of abstraction in the construct of innovativeness since the concept is designed to apply to the general consumption situation. The higher innovative a consumer is, the more likely he is to have a favorable predisposition toward a new product. Consumers with different degree of innovativeness respond differently toward the new brand as it is confirmed in the effects of brand attitude. It suggests that it is desirable to target innovativeness prone consumers. The attitude toward the new product is induced not only by a desire to seek something new or different, but by promotional efforts. Attitude toward the advertising and attitude toward the word-of-mouth are positively related to the brand attitude. The magnitude of interpersonal communication is stronger than that of advertising. It is consistent with the finding that the impact of mass media was low relative to parental and peer influence(Ward, 1974). Interpersonal influence such as word-of-mouth is essential not only in creating awareness but also in forming favorable brand attitude. Young consumers tend to rely on the communicated experience of others for guiding their consumption-related behaviors. Face-to-face communication activities with peer group members lead them to be exposed to a new brand and persuade them to try it. This is consistent with the findings of communication studies, which the mass media can serve to increase awareness while interpersonal communication is instrumental in persuading(Rogers, 1983). With regard to the eventual dependent variable, brand attitude and amount of consumption are significant predictors of the adoption behavior among young consumers. It provides a theoretical basis for understanding consumer choices, underlying adoption of a new product. Brand awareness might be a necessary step leading toward the trial, but is not enough to overcome the barriers of consumers to try a new product. It is brand attitude that sways the minds of consumers from inertia to the adoption of a new product(Blair & Rosenberg, 1994; Walker & Dubitsky, 1994). The level of consumption, a primary criteria of market segmentation, has been also confirmed as a valid determinant since the heavy drinkers tend to be sensitive to the introduction of new products. This study suggests how advertising works in the adoption of new products. It enhances brand awareness and helps to form brand attitude. In particular, the results confirm that mass communication like advertising is effective in enhancing the level of awareness in comparison to word-of-mouth. Without exposure to a new brand, none of subsequent processes can occur. However, it is suggested to evaluate the effectiveness of an advertising not only by the levels of achieved exposure but also by the influence over attitude change(Rimal, Flora, & Schooler, 1999). This study has several limitations, which present opportunities for further research. First, the measurements of innovativeness has been based on the previous research, originally developed for adults. Future studies could refine the construct of consumer innovativeness for young consumers and develop its measurements in that it is a key variable in the adoption process. Second, our conceptual model may be extended by incorporating potential antecedents of innovativeness. Steenkamp, Hofstede, & Wedel(1999), for example, found that personal values such as openness to change and self-enhancement are positively related to the innovativeness. Thus, it can be pursued whether the determinants of such values may be applied to diverse consumption situations. Third, more comprehensive research is also needed to identify the effects of reference group and product characteristics on the adoption process. We dealt with the choice of cola, which belongs to a relatively low type of involvement. If the product being studied shows a high level of involvement, the perceived features of the product should be considered as one of potential determinants. Thus, the model should be applied to durables as well as other frequently purchased products since the type of product may moderate the effect of innovativeness on the formation of brand attitude. Despite these limitations, this field study demonstrates innovativeness as one of major antecedents in explaining adoption behaviors, raising the significance of personal values in analyzing consumer behaviors. It has also been reinforced the effects of advertising and word-of-mouth communications among young consumers. Since it is rare to verify and publish the effects of advertising in a marketplace, it is worthwhile to note such effects. In particular, it is encouraged to direct the efforts of marketing communication toward the formation of brand attitude because brand awareness is not sufficient to lead the trial of a new product. |
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