The Influence of Pioneer Status and Experience Order on Consumer Brand Preference: A Mediated-Effects Model

Abstract

Within the behavioral literature, two basic explanations of the pioneering advantage have been offered. Early work focused on order-based explanations. More recently, schema-based explanations have also been suggested. The authors propose a mediated-effects model of the pioneering advantage and test the model in two separate longitudinal studies. Both experiments support the proposed model. The authors find that experience order and pioneer-status have additive effects on brand preference such that perceptions of first-in-market and first-experienced brands are more favorable, suggesting that both explanations are operative. The authors also provide evidence that the effects of pioneer status on brand preference are mediated by attitude toward the brand and company credibility, while the effects of experience order on brand preference are mediated by attitude toward the brand and attribute recall. These data support the notion that the effect of pioneer status on brand preference is the result of both brand-level and company-level associations.