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How Mental Simulations of the Future and Message‐Induced Expectations Influence Purchasing Goals
Author(s) -
Handley Ian M.,
Goss R. Justin
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
psychology and marketing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.035
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1520-6793
pISSN - 0742-6046
DOI - 10.1002/mar.20529
Subject(s) - fantasy , purchasing , product (mathematics) , realization (probability) , psychology , mental model , marketing , advertising , computer science , business , cognitive science , artificial intelligence , statistics , geometry , mathematics
In the reported experiment, participants considered future fantasies about owning an electronics product, negative realities that impeded the realization of that fantasy (e.g., insufficient money), or simultaneously considered both. Consistent with F antasy R ealization T heory (Oettingen, 1996), only participants who simultaneously considered fantasies and reality formed stronger (weaker) goals to purchase their fantasy product if they read an advertisement for an electronics store leading them to expect that doing so was feasible (unfeasible). Purchasing goals were not influenced by expectations in the other conditions. The theoretical and practical contributions of these findings as well as future directions for research are discussed.