The Role of Familiarity and Knowledge in Consumer Behavior
Published on 12. August 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
374 pages
978-1-63651-612-7 (ISBN)
Description
In The Role of Familiarity and Knowledge in Consumer Behavior, C. Whan Park explores how a consumer's previous experience and conceptual understanding shape the way they perceive, evaluate, and respond to marketing stimuli. This book presents foundational theories and empirical studies that examine how familiarity with a product, brand, or category reduces cognitive load and influences choice behavior.
Park delves into the subtle differences between subjective familiarity and objective product knowledge, showing how each affects recall, judgment, and purchase decisions. The book provides insights into how marketing strategies can leverage familiarity to boost trust, reduce perceived risk, and enhance persuasion.
Ideal for researchers, students, and marketers, this book is a vital resource for understanding the cognitive shortcuts consumers use in high- and low-involvement decisions. As part of the Legend in Consumer Behavior series, it highlights C. Whan Park's lasting impact on marketing scholarship and sheds light on the essential role of mental representations in consumer decision-making.
More details
Language
English
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
541 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-63651-612-7 (9781636516127)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
C. Whan Park is a Robert E. Brooker Professor of Marketing at the University of Southern California. Prior to joining the USC Marshall School of Business, Los Angeles, California, Professor Park was the Albert Wesley Frey Distinguished Professor of Marketing at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh (1979-1997).He is one of the most innovative thought leaders who has pioneered many important areas in consumer behavior. His innovative publications include seminal papers in dyadic decision-making, "Joint Decisions in Home Purchasing: A Muddling-through Process"; brand management, "Strategic Brand Concept-image Management"; and brand attachment, "Brand Attachment and Brand Attitude Strength: Conceptual and Empirical Differentiation of Two Critical Brand Equity Drivers." He has also published highly influential articles in the areas of brand familiarity, subjective and objective knowledge, cognitive and affective involvement, constructive decision-making, cost-efficient brand growth strategies, and brand naming strategies. Apart from this, Professor Park has coauthored Marketing Management (1987) with Dr Gerald Zaltman, and Handbook of Brand Relationships (2009) with Deborah J. MacInnis and Joseph R. Priester. His most recent book, Brand Admiration: Building a Business People Love, coauthored with Dr Deborah J. MacInnis and Dr Andreas B. Eisingerich, was published in October 2016.Professor Park was the recipient of the 1987 Alpha Kappa Psi Award and has been a Fellow of Society of Consumer Psychology (2012) and a Fellow of Association for Consumer Research (ACR, 2015). He was the Editor of the Journal of Consumer Psychology (2008-2012) and is currently the Director of the Global Branding Center at the Marshall School of Business (2008-present).