A modal finding in prior research has been that attitude toward the advertisement (AAd) outperforms brand beliefs in explaining brand attitude. The author shows that when beliefs are covered more comprehensively (so that image attributes are included in addition to the usual utilitarian attributes), the role of beliefs as predictors is enhanced. Consequently, the nonredundant contribution of attitude toward the ad is reduced. New issues are raised about the interrelationships among brand beliefs, AAd, and brand attitude, and directions for future research to address these issues are suggested.
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