Consumer Attitude Formation and Change

Attitudes

A learned predisposition to behave in a consistently favorable or unfavorable manner with respect to a given object.

What are Attitudes?

The attitude object Attitudes are a learned predisposition Attitudes have consistency Attitudes occur within a situation

Wendys Offers Salads To Differentiate Itself

Structural Models of Attitudes

Tricomponent Attitude Model Muliattribute Attitude Model The Trying-to-Consume Model Attitude-toward-the-Ad Model

Figure 8.2 A Simple Representation of the Tricomponent Attitude Model

Conation

Affect

Cognition

The Tricomponent Model

Cognitive Component
The knowledge and perceptions that are acquired by a combination of direct experience with the attitude object and related information from various sources.

Affective Component
A consumers emotions or feelings about a particular product or brand.

Conative Component
The likelihood or tendency that an individual will undertake a specific action or behave in a particular way with regard to the attitude object.

Multiattribute Attitude Models

Attitude models that examine the composition of consumer attitudes in terms of selected product attributes or beliefs.

Multiattribute Attitude Models

The attitude-toward-object model
Attitude is function of evaluation of productspecific beliefs and evaluations

The attitude-toward-behavior model

Is the attitude toward behaving or acting with respect to an object, rather than the attitude toward the object itself

Theory-of-reasoned-action model
A comprehensive, integrative model of attitudes

AttitudeTowardBehavior Model

A model that proposes that a consumers attitude toward a specific behavior is a function of how strongly he or she believes that the action will lead to a specific outcome (either favorable or unfavorable).

Theory of Reasoned Action

A comprehensive theory of the interrelationship among attitudes,intentions, and behavior.

A Simplified Version of the Theory of Reasoned Action

Beliefs that the behavior leads to certain outcomes Evaluation of the outcomes

Beliefs that specific referents think I should or should not perform the behavior

Motivation to comply with the specific referents

Attitude toward the behavior

Intention Behavior

Subjective norm

Theory of Trying to Consume

An attitude theory designed to account for the many cases where the action or outcome is not certain but instead reflects the consumers attempt to consume (or purchase).

Ad Illustrating the Theory of Trying to Consume

Selected Examples of Potential Impediments That Might Impact Trying

POTENTIAL PERSONAL IMPEDIMENTS I wonder whether my fingernails will be longer by the time of my wedding. I want to try to lose fifteen pounds by next summer. Im going to try to get tickets for a Broadway show for your birthday. Im going to attempt to give up smoking by my birthday. I am going to increase how often I go to the gym from two to four times a week. Tonight, Im not going to have dessert at the restaurant. POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPEDIMENTS The first ten people to call in will receive a free T-shirt. Sorry, the shoes didnt come in this shipment from Italy. There are only three bottles of champagne in our stockroom. You better come in sometime today. I am sorry. We cannot serve you. We are closing the restaurant because of a problem with the oven.

AttitudeTowardthe-Ad 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 consumers attitude toward the ad and attitude toward the brand.

A Conception of the Relationship among Elements in an Attitude-Toward-the-Ad Model

Exposure to an Ad Judgments about the Ad (Cognition) Feelings from the Ad (Affect)

Beliefs about the Brand

Attitude toward the Ad

Attitude toward the Brand

Issues in Attitude Formation

How attitudes are learned Sources of influence on attitude formation Personality factors

Encouraging Trial

Strategies of Attitude Change

Changing the Basic Motivational Function Associating the Product With an Admired Group or Event Resolving Two Conflicting Attitudes Altering Components of the Multiattribute Model Changing Beliefs About Competitors Brands

Four Basic Attitude Functions

The Utilitarian Function The Ego-defensive Function The Value-expressive Function The Knowledge Function

Clorox Uses A Utilitarian Appeal

Suave Uses Ego Defensive Appeal

AC Delco Uses a ValueExpressive Appeal

A Knowledge Appeal

Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

A theory that suggests that a persons level of involvement during message processing is a critical factor in determining which route to persuasion is likely to be effective.

Why Might Behavior Precede Attitude Formation?

Cognitive Dissonance Theory Attribution Theory

Behave (Purchase)

Form Attitude

Form Attitude

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Holds that discomfort or dissonance occurs when a consumer holds conflicting thoughts about a belief or an attitude object.

Reducing Cognitive Dissonance

Postpurchase Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance that occurs after a consumer has made a purchase commitment. Consumers resolve this dissonance through a variety of strategies designed to confirm the wisdom of their choice.

Attribution Theory

A theory concerned with how people assign casualty to events and form or alter their attitudes as an outcome of assessing their own or other peoples behavior.

Issues in Attribution Theory

Self-perception Theory
Foot-In-The-Door Technique

Attributions Toward Others Attributions Toward Things How We Test Our Attributions

SelfPerception Theory

A theory that suggests that consumers develop attitudes by reflecting on their own behavior.

Defensive Attribution

A theory that suggests consumers are likely to accept credit for successful outcomes (internal attribution) and to blame other persons or products for failure (external attribution).

Criteria for Causal Attributions

Distinctiveness Consistency Over Time Consistency Over Modality Consensus