The Relationship between Advertising and Product Quality over the Product Life Cycle: A Contingency Theory
针对广告与产品质量关系的争议，提出基于消费者反应和成本因素的权变理论，认为在产品生命周期后期两者关系更强，并通过实证检验支持该论点。
The relationship between advertising and product quality has been a controversial topic in the literature because of conflicting empirical evidence and divergent theories about advertising's effects. The authors present an integrative theory based on consumer response to advertising and the costs of producing quality products. The theory posits that the relationship between advertising and quality is stronger when (1) quality is produced at lower cost and (2) consumers are less responsive to advertising. Such a scenario is more likely during the latter stages of the product life cycle. An empirical test supports this argument.