The Age of Acquisition Effect Has a Small Impact on Brand Recognition

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Summary

Things learned early in life are recognized faster and more accurately, according to the age-of-acquisition effect, a phenomenon studied widely in psychology research. A new study recently published in the Journal of Advertising Research explores how this effect works in the context of brand names. It finds that brand exposure frequency and usage recency have a much greater effect on recognition than the age of acquisition itself.

Author bios:

Note: The authors are all at the University of South Australia.

Peilin Phua (peilin.phua@unisa.edu.au) is a Lecturer at UniSA Business and a Senior Marketing Scientist at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science. Her research focuses on consumer behavior and advertising.

Bill Page (bill.page@unisa.edu.au) is a Senior Marketing Scientist at Ehrenberg-Bass. His research focuses on understanding habitual behavior through innovative techniques, including shopper marketing, retailing and music consumption.

Gian Trinh (giang.trinh@unisa.edu.au) is an Associate Professor at UniSA Business and a Senior Marketing Scientist at Ehrenberg-Bass. His research expertise lies in quantitative method development and applications in the areas of consumer purchasing behavior, brand competition, market structure, price promotion, advertising and sales relationships and new product launches.

Nicole Hartnett (Nicole.hartnett@marketingscience.info) is a Senior Marketing Scientist at Ehrenberg-Bass. She has a keen interest in advertising creativity and effectiveness, different measurement approaches and managerial decision-making.

Rachel Kennedy (Rachel.kennedy@marketingscience.info) is a Research Professor, Director, and Co-founder of Ehrenberg-Bass. Her research is focused on advertising and media knowledge to help grow brands.