The Power of Affect: Predicting Intention

Jooyoung Kim, James A. Geason, Chongmoo Woo and Jon D. Morris

This robust structural modeling study, with over 23,000 responses to 240 advertising messages, found that affect when measured by a visual measure of emotional response dominates over cognition for predicting conative attitude and action.

The Power of Affect: Predicting Intention

Jon D MorrisChongmoo WooJames A. GeasonandJooyoung KimThe University of Florida

For decades marketing and advertising professionals and researchers have been struggling with two important questions: What is more predictive of consumer intent - thoughts or feelings? And, in the tripartite of cognitive, affective, conative attitudes does cognitive attitude dominate and does it mediate the relationship between affect and intent?

Affect is clearly one component of attitude and a force in persuasion. Petty and Cacioppo (1981) have defined attitude as, 'a general and enduring positive or negative feeling about some...

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