Advancing applied inoculation theory: Theorizing inoculation’s superiority over conventional post-purchase dissonance reducing strategies

Inoculation messages are superior to supportive messages when used to reinforce the soundness of the purchase made.

Bobi Ivanov, Kimberly Parker, & Josh Compton

Scholars of communication and social cognition have been leaders in applying established theories toward specific venues of information processing. We follow suit by applying a classic information processing theory, inoculation, to a domain in need of more theory-based approaches, advertising. More specifically, we focus on the final stage(confirmation, maintenance or post decision) of the purchase decision-making process in a commercial campaign. The greatest challenge in securing customer satisfaction and retention occurs when individuals are choosing among close alternatives. Traditionally, the two main purchase reinforcement approaches used by commercial campaigners to combat post-purchase dissonance have included supportive messages and extrinsic motivation. We highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each of these two approaches and propose an alternative approach that features inoculation messages. We advance a theoretical argument that inoculation messages are better suited to combat post-purchase dissonance and are more likely to create post-purchase satisfaction and reinforce product repurchase.

Ivanov, B., Parker, K., & Compton, J. (2010, November). Advancing applied inoculation theory: Theorizing inoculation’s superiority over conventional post-purchase dissonance reducing strategies. National Communication Association, San Francisco, CA, United States.