Mood, information congruency, and overload

Abstract

Marketers seek new ways of gaining attention in our age of information bombardment, and one popular way has been to utilize schemaincongruent language. The present article investigates how a common situational factor-consumer mood-influences consumers' ability to process incongruent information in an information overload environment. Two experiments find positive mood increases (and negative mood decreases) consumers' ability to respond to incongruent information. Both experiments utilize computer reaction tests on healthy adult consumers; the first uses the Stroop test, the second uses the IAT (Implicit Association Test). This article discusses the implications of the findings for marketers attempting to gain consumers attention as well as the theoretical implications for the growing research on consumer mood and processing.

Coupons going wireless: Determinants of consumer intentions to redeem mobile coupons

“…While it might seem that value seekers would tend to be more open to receiving promotional messages and thus might spend less time worrying about spam, research shows that an increased amount of messages received can cause an information overload. Information overload creates a high level of stress (Braun-LaTour, Puccinelli, & Mast, 2007), which can be particularly cumbersome for value seekers. Specifically, when the mobile channel is overloading them with offers, value seekers will be less capable of recognizing the good deals and thus will become frustrated by the process.…”

Can you trust a customer's expression? Insights into nonverbal communication in the retail context

“…Masking efforts also may be more difficult because of processing impairment. Customers who experience true negative feelings often have difficulty processing incongruent information (Braun-LaTour, Puccinelli, & Mast, 2007). Investigators have used the IAT to examine such mood effects.…”

“…Investigators have used the IAT to examine such mood effects. For example, people in a bad mood were significantly slower to respond to incongruent stimuli (e.g., good words and a negative brand-Marlboro) as compared to those in a good mood (Braun-LaTour, Puccinelli, & Mast, 2007). More generally, the incongruence between a person's negative true feelings and positive feelings they are trying to express may make masking true negative feelings more difficult.…”

When and how should retailers rationalize the size and duration of price discounts?

“…Less direct approaches may also prove effective. Because a positive mood enhances one's ability to process incongruent information (Braun-LaTour, Puccinelli, & Mast, 2007), retailers may find that store atmospherics help offset the negative effects of incongruent discounts.…”