Consumer Attitude Formation and Change

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Class #1

Administrative– Midterms and academic articles returned in

class Thursday The Basics of Attitude

– What are attitudes?– The structure of attitudes– How are they formed?

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Attitudes Cereal Exercise

– Get into groups of 4 or 5 students– You will be provided with a cereal box. Write down

your attitudes toward this type of cereal independently. Then discuss your attitudes toward this type of cereal with your group.

– Consider these questions as well.• How were these attitudes formed?• Are your attitudes toward this type of cereal now:

– The same you held at the beginning of the exercise?– The same you have always held?

» Why or why not?• Why do we have attitudes?

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Attitude

A learned predisposition to

behave in a consistently favorable or

unfavorable manner with respect to a

given object.

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What Are Attitudes?

Important definitional components:– The attitude “object”– Attitudes are a learned predisposition– Attitudes have consistency– Attitudes occur within a situation

Other important characteristics:– Directionality– Degree

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Attitudes

List 5 products/brands/companies/services toward which you have a positive attitude.

Have you ever purchased, used or consumed something toward which you did not have a positive attitude?

Attitude toward H1N1 Vaccine?– Rant

A positive attitude is generally a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for purchase

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How are attitudes formed? Attitudes are learned

– Classical conditioning (through past associations)– Operant conditioning (through trial and

reinforcement)– Cognitive learning (through information processing)

And formed based upon personality characteristics

From whom/what do we learn attitudes?– Attitudes are strongly influenced by:

• Personal experience• Influence of family and friends• Direct marketing• Mass media• The Internet

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Attitude Models

Structural Models of Attitudes• Tri-component Attitude Model• Multi-attribute Attitude Models• Theory of Trying to Consume• Attitude toward the ad Model

– attempt to understand the relationships between attitude and behavior; assume a rational model of human behaviour

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ConationConation

AffectAffectCognition

Cognitive Component– knowledge and perceptions acquired through direct

experience and information from various sources. Affective component

– Emotions and feelings about the object Conative or Behavioural Component

– Action tendencies toward the object

Cognitive Component– knowledge and perceptions acquired through direct

experience and information from various sources. Affective component

– Emotions and feelings about the object Conative or Behavioural Component

– Action tendencies toward the object

The Tri-component Model

Exercise #1

Exercise #1

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MultiMulti--attribute Attitude Modelsattribute Attitude Models

Includes:– Attitude-toward-object Model

• Attitude is function of evaluation of product-specific beliefs and evaluations

– Attitude-toward-behaviour Model• attitude toward a specific behaviour is a function of how strongly one

believes that the action will lead to a specific outcome (either favorable or unfavorable)

– Theory-of-Reasoned-Action Model– Theory of Planned Behaviour

Attitude models that examine the composition of consumer attitudes in terms of selected product

attributes or beliefs.

Attitude models that examine the composition of consumer attitudes in terms of selected product

attributes or beliefs.

7-11 Includes cognitive, affective, and conative components Includes subjective norms in addition to attitude

Includes cognitive, affective, and conative components Includes subjective norms in addition to attitude

Use the theory of reasoned action to describe your attitude toward your college/university when deciding on which school to attend.

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Theory of Theory of Trying to Trying to ConsumeConsume

An attitude theory designed to account for the many cases where the action or outcome

is not certain but instead reflects the consumer’s attempt to consume (or

purchase).

Attitude-Attitude-Toward-the-Toward-the-

Ad ModelAd Model

A model that proposes that a consumer forms various feelings

(affects) and judgments (cognitions) as the result of

exposure to an advertisement, which, in turn, affect the

consumer’s attitude toward the ad and attitude toward the brand.

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A Conception of the Relationship Among Elements in an Attitude-Toward-the-Ad Model – Figure 6

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Class #2

Review attitude structure with short case

Discuss attitude change strategies

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Case One: The Not-So-Extreme Sport

On the basis of the Theory of Reasoned Action, how would you explain the 180-dregree shift in attitudes about skateboarding that occurred over the last 30 years?

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Strategies of Attitude Change

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Changing the Basic Motivational Function

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Discussion Questions

What products that you purchase associate themselves with an Admired Group or Event?

When does it personally influence your purchasing?

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Altering Components of the Multiattribute Model

Changing relative evaluation of attributes

Changing brand beliefsAdding an attributeChanging the overall brand rating

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How Is This New Benefit Likely to Impact Consumers’ Attitudes Toward the Product?

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The Consumer Will Have a More Positive Attitude Overall from the New Attribute.

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Which Attitude Change Strategy Is Depicted in This Ad?

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Changing the Overall Brand Rating

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Elaboration Elaboration Likelihood Likelihood

Model Model (ELM)(ELM)

Customer attitudes are changed by two

distinctly different routes to persuasion:

a central route or a peripheral route.

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Elaboration Likelihood Model

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Behaviour Can Precede Attitude Formation

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Attribution Theory

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Attribution Theory

Behave (Purchase)Behave (Purchase)

Form Attitude Form AttitudeForm Attitude

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Issues in Attribution Theory

• Self-Perception Theory– Foot-in-the-Door Technique

• Attributions toward Others• Attributions toward Things

• How We Test Our Attributions– Distinctiveness– Consistency over time– Consistency over modality– Consensus

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Attitudes and Marketing Strategy Appeal to motivational functions of attitudes Associate product with a special group, cause or event Change affect first through classical conditioning Change behaviour first through operant conditioning Resolve conflicts among attitudes

– POM Wonderful; Change beliefs about competitors’ brands

(Campbell’s/Progresso War; Stuffed ; PR Lady; Broken Promises; Mr. Bean)

Influence consumer attribution Alter components of the attitude

– Change relative evaluation of attributes• Focus Group

– Change brand beliefs• Ad 1 ; Ad 2

– Add an attribute – Change overall brand evaluation

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Discussion Question #5