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Quality uncertainty and informative advertising

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  • Moraga-Gonzalez, Jose Luis

Abstract

We consider a single period model where a monopolist introduces a product of uncertain quality. Before pricing and informative advertising decisions take place, the producer observes the true quality of the good while consumers receive an independent signal which is correlated with the true quality of the product. We show that if advertising occurs in equilibrium, there must exist some pooling. We then characterize the constellations of parameters for which advertising occurs in equilibrium: For an advertising full pooling equilibrium to exist, (a) the consumers' valuation for the high quality must be high enough, (b) the informativeness of the market signal must be sufficiently low, (c) the costs of advertising must be high enough and (d) the consumers' priori probability of high quality must be sufficiently high. Existence of an advertising semi-separating equilibrium also requires the three first conditions but, in contrast, the consumers' a priori probability of high quality cannot be too large. When advertising occurs in equilibrium, the adverse selection problem is mitigated. Moreover, the lower are advertising costs, the more intense is the alleviation of that problem.

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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by Elsevier in its journal International Journal of Industrial Organization.

Volume (Year): 18 (2000)
Issue (Month): 4 (May)
Pages: 615-640

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Handle: RePEc:eee:indorg:v:18:y:2000:i:4:p:615-640

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Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/505551

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  1. Kihlstrom, Richard E & Riordan, Michael H, 1984. "Advertising as a Signal," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 92(3), pages 427-50, June.
  2. Russell Cooper & Thomas W. Ross, 1984. "Monopoly Provision of Product Quality with Uninformed Buyers," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 688R, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University, revised Nov 1984.
  3. Grossman, Gene M & Shapiro, Carl, 1984. "Informative Advertising with Differentiated Products," Review of Economic Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(1), pages 63-81, January.
  4. Grossman, Sanford J. & Perry, Motty, 1986. "Perfect sequential equilibrium," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 97-119, June.
  5. Ellingsen, Tore, 1997. "Price signals quality: The case of perfectly inelastic demand," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 43-61, November.
  6. Cho, In-Koo & Kreps, David M, 1987. "Signaling Games and Stable Equilibria," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 102(2), pages 179-221, May.
  7. Paul R. Milgrom & John Roberts, 1984. "Price and Advertising Signals of Product Quality," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 709, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
  8. Kyle Bagwell & Michael Riordan, 1988. "High and Declining Prices Signal Product Quality," Discussion Papers 808, Northwestern University, Center for Mathematical Studies in Economics and Management Science.
  9. Archibald, Robert B & Haulman, Clyde A & Moody, Carlisle E, Jr, 1983. " Quality, Price, Advertising, and Published Quality Ratings," Journal of Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 9(4), pages 347-56, March.
  10. Cooper, Russell & Ross, Thomas W, 1984. "Prices, Product Qualities and Asymmetric Information: The Competitive Case," Review of Economic Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(2), pages 197-207, April.
  11. Nelson, Philip, 1974. "Advertising as Information," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(4), pages 729-54, July/Aug..
  12. Butters, Gerard R, 1977. "Equilibrium Distributions of Sales and Advertising Prices," Review of Economic Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(3), pages 465-91, October.
  13. Chan, Yuk-Shee & Leland, Hayne, 1982. "Prices and Qualities in Markets with Costly Information," Review of Economic Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(4), pages 499-516, October.
  14. Riordan, Michael H, 1986. "Monopolistic Competition with Experience Goods," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 101(2), pages 265-79, May.
  15. Mark N. Hertzendorf, 1993. "I'm Not a High-Quality Firm -- But I Play One on TV," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 24(2), pages 236-247, Summer.
  16. Wolinsky, Asher, 1983. "Prices as Signals of Product Quality," Review of Economic Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(4), pages 647-58, October.
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Cited by:
  1. Tsuchihashi, Toshihiro, 2008. "Market research and complementary advertising under asymmetric information," Discussion Papers 2008-05, Graduate School of Economics, Hitotsubashi University.
  2. Boom, Anette, 2004. ""Download for Free" - When Do Providers of Digital Goods Offer Free Samples?," Discussion Paper Series of SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems 70, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich.
  3. Young-Han Kim & Praveen Aggarwal & Young-Myung Ha & Tai Hoon Cha, 2006. "Optimal pricing strategy for foreign market entry: a game theoretic approach," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(8), pages 643-653.

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