An Applied Investigation Of Rogers And Shoemakers Perceived Innovation Attribute Typology When Marketing To Elderly Consumers

Abstract

Rogers and Shoemakers typology of innovation, which has long represented the bench mark for research on the relationship of perceive innovation characteristics to the diffusion process, may not be appropriate for most marketing innovations according to the theoretical and empirical evidence developed in this research. The appropriateness of the innovation typology was investigated across innovations classified on a continuous-discontinuous continuum. The results suggest their model is appropriate for discontinuous innovations, but that respondents evaluated the continuous innovation along dissimilar dimensions, which were also smaller in number. The results argued for marketing appeals based on the determinant perceptual dimensions of innovations. For discontinuous innovations, marketing efforts should primarily focus on addressing the relative advantage and observability of the innovation. Organizations marketing continuous innovations should focus on the economic and performance advantages and ease of use associated with the product.