The effects of preemptive advertisign for future products on the consumer?s attitude: A comparative analysis between Spain and Greece

The present exploratory work based on an experimental design replicate the model proposed by Dahlen et al. (2011). The study, conducted in a cross-cultural context, attempts to determine the potential effect of advertising for future products on the processing and evaluation of the advertisement, on the consumer’s attitude toward the brand, and how this influence can predetermine the purchase intention of products that do not exist on the market. In order to measure these effects, with emphasis on the potential moderator effect of the country’s culture, two convenience samples were used, one made up of Greek students and the other consisting of Spanish students, who answered two questionnaires concerning an advertising campaign for a car, before and after the launch of the product. Moreover, two additional samples from both countries were used to detect the potential effect of product availability on the consumer’s anticipation and evaluation. The results show that advertising for future products generates more uncertainty than advertising for current products, and consumers display greater anticipation and predisposition toward the future product than for the current one.