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Why Is the Trivial Important? A Reasons-Based Account for the Effects of Trivial Attributes on Choice

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  • Brown, Christina L
  • Carpenter, Gregory S

Abstract

Consumers sometimes treat trivial attributes as though they were critically important in the sense that they have a significant impact on choice. We propose a reasons-based account to explain the valuation of trivial attributes and in particular why valuation is in some cases positive and in others negative. We suggest that consumers treat trivial attributes as though they had value when such valuation is instrumental, that is, helps accomplish a task goal. The valence of the effect can depend on whether a positive or negative reason provides a clearer justification for preferring a single brand over its competitors. Thus the same trivial attribute can generate a positive or negative valuation depending on the choice setting. Such valuation is not always driven by inferences about the attribute itself but can reflect transitory reasoning about the brand as a whole, based on the way it is differentiated from its competitors. Results from two experiments support the reasons-based model and help resolve some apparently conflicting effects previously reported for trivial attributes. Copyright 2000 by the University of Chicago.

Suggested Citation

  • Brown, Christina L & Carpenter, Gregory S, 2000. "Why Is the Trivial Important? A Reasons-Based Account for the Effects of Trivial Attributes on Choice," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 26(4), pages 372-385, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:v:26:y:2000:i:4:p:372-85
    DOI: 10.1086/209569
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    Cited by:

    1. Bhatt, Meghana A., 2012. "Evaluation and associations: A neural-network model of advertising and consumer choice," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 82(1), pages 236-255.
    2. Heribert Gierl & Tina Großmann, 2008. "Imply-Benefit-Attribute im Bereich häufig gekaufter Konsumgüter," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 355-384, June.
    3. Yuan, Yan & Capps, Oral & Nayga, Rodolfo M., 2009. "Assessing the Demand for a Functional Food Product: Is There Cannibalization in the Orange Juice Category?," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 38(2), pages 153-165, October.
    4. Michael J. Barone & Thomas E. DeCarlo, 2003. "Emerging Forms of Competitive Advantage: Implications for Agricultural Producers," Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) Publications 03-mrp5, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University.
    5. STANTON, John L & BAGLIONE, Stephen & SALNIKOVA, Ekaterina, 2023. "The Effect of Positive and Negative Nutrition/Health Advertising Label Claims on Intention to Buy," Holistic Marketing Management Journal, Holistic Marketing Management, vol. 13(2), pages 9-23, July.
    6. BAGLIONE, Stephen L. & TUCCI, Louis A. & STANTON, John L., 2019. "Organic Food: Identifying Actionable Segments," Holistic Marketing Management Journal, Holistic Marketing Management, vol. 9(1), pages 10-27, March.
    7. Varadarajan, Rajan, 2009. "Fortune at the bottom of the innovation pyramid: The strategic logic of incremental innovations," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 21-29.
    8. Nayga, Rodolfo M., Jr. & Shaw, W. Douglass & Silva, Andres, 2006. "The Effect of Risk Presentation on Product Valuation: An Experimental Analysis," 2006 Annual meeting, July 23-26, Long Beach, CA 21429, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    9. Monica B. Fine & Kimberly Gleason & Desi Budeva, 2016. "Getting what you’re worth: Implications that affect firm value in a brand acquisition," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(5), pages 70-96, September.
    10. Miljkovic, Dragan & Gong, Jian & Lehrke, Linda, 2009. "The Effects of Trivial Attributes on Choice of Food Products," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 38(2), pages 1-11, October.
    11. Das, Gopal, 2014. "Factors affecting Indian shoppers׳ attitude and purchase intention: An empirical check," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 561-569.
    12. Creyer, Elizabeth H. & Kozup, John C., 2003. "An examination of the relationships between coping styles, task-related affect, and the desire for decision assistance," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 37-49, January.
    13. Iana A. Castro & Anuja Majmundar & Christine B. Williams & Barbara Baquero, 2018. "Customer Purchase Intentions and Choice in Food Retail Environments: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-19, November.
    14. Laura J. Kornish & Sharaya M. Jones, 2021. "Raw Ideas in the Fuzzy Front End: Verbosity Increases Perceived Creativity," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 40(6), pages 1106-1122, November.
    15. Clement, Jesper & Aastrup, Jesper & Charlotte Forsberg, Signe, 2015. "Decisive visual saliency and consumers׳ in-store decisions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 187-194.
    16. Chris Janiszewski & Aparna A. Labroo & Derek D. Rucker, 2016. "A Tutorial in Consumer Research: Knowledge Creation and Knowledge Appreciation in Deductive-Conceptual Consumer Research," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 43(2), pages 200-209.
    17. Dean C. H. Wilkie & Lester W. Johnson & Wynne W. Chin, 2018. "Does the type of attribute matter? Examining whether underlying factors explain product attribute preference," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 25(4), pages 305-321, July.
    18. Anastasiya Pocheptsova & Francine Espinoza Petersen & Jordan Etkin, 2014. "Two birds, one stone? Positive mood makes products seem less useful for multiple-goal pursuit," ESMT Research Working Papers ESMT-14-06, ESMT European School of Management and Technology.
    19. Rezaee Vessal, Sara & De Giovanni, Pietro & Hassanzadeh, Alborz, 2022. "Technology and service investments in the presence of feature fatigue and word-of-mouth," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 301(3), pages 923-941.
    20. Barsyte, Justina & Fennis, Bob M., 2023. "When innovation backfires: Preference for predictability moderates the spillover of functional food ambivalence to the entire parent category," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    21. Hardeman, Gerben & Font, Xavier & Nawijn, Jeroen, 2017. "The power of persuasive communication to influence sustainable holiday choices: Appealing to self-benefits and norms," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 484-493.
    22. Jonsen, Karsten & Galunic, Charles & Weeks, John & Braga, Tania, 2015. "Evaluating espoused values: Does articulating values pay off?," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 332-340.
    23. Michael J. Barone & Thomas E. DeCarlo, 2003. "Emerging Forms of Competitive Advantage: Implications for Agricultural Producers," Midwest Agribusiness Trade Research and Information Center (MATRIC) Publications (archive only) 03-mrp5, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University.
    24. Kevin Lane Keller & Donald R. Lehmann, 2006. "Brands and Branding: Research Findings and Future Priorities," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(6), pages 740-759, 11-12.
    25. Kuppelwieser, Volker G. & Klaus, Phil & Manthiou, Aikaterini & Boujena, Othman, 2019. "Consumer responses to planned obsolescence," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 157-165.

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