Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

Unit 7

Consumer Attitudes

Structure: 7.1 Introduction Objectives 7.2 Attitude 7.3 Functions of Attitude Utilitarian function Value-expressive function Ego-defensive function Knowledge function 7.4 Attitude Models Tri-component attitude model Multi-attribute models Fishbeins attitude toward behaviour model 7.5 Factors that Inhibit Relationship Between Beliefs, Feelings and Behaviour 7.6 Learning Attitudes Caselet: Online shopping in India and consumer attitude formation 7.7 Changing Attitudes 7.8 Attitude Change Strategies Multi-attribute models and attitude change Katz functional theory and attitude change Elaboration likelihood model and attitude change Behaviour and attitude formation 7.9 Summary 7.10 Glossary 7.11 Terminal Questions 7.12 Answers 7.13 Case Study

7.1 Introduction
The previous unit dealt with consumer learning, memory and involvement. This unit throws light on the concept of attitude. Consumers have numerous attitudes towards products, services, retailers, advertisements and so on. When people are asked whether they like a particular product or service, store or advertisement, they are being asked to express their attitude. This
Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 177

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

means that attitude is an expression of inner feelings about a certain inclination towards a product. Since attitude results from a psychological process, it is not directly observable but need to be inferred from consumers behaviour. Attitude research is important to marketers and is usually carried out to: Ascertain whether consumers will accept a proposed new product idea. Evaluate why consumers have not reacted favourably to an advertisement theme. Study how consumers may respond to a change in packaging etc. Objectives: After studying this unit, you should be able to: define attitude explain the functions of attitudes analyse the models of attitude identify the factors that inhibit relationship between beliefs, feelings and behaviour explain how attitudes are learnt and changed elucidate attitude change strategies

7.2 Attitude
Gordon W. Allport presented a frequently used definition of attitudes. He said, Attitudes are learned predispositions to respond to an object or class of objects in a consistently favourable or unfavourable way. Each bit of this definition highlights an important property of an attitude and is important in understanding the role of attitudes in consumer behaviour as detailed below. The attitude object The phrase object in the definition of attitude broadly includes products, product categories, brands, services, possessions, advertisements, price, media or retailers. Attitude research tends to be object-specific. For instance, if one wants to learn shoppers attitudes towards major packaged ice cream brands, the object might include Kwality, Amul and Cornetto. Attitudes are a learned predisposition Attitudes are believed to be an outcome of learning. In the consumer purchase behaviour context, this would mean that peoples attitudes are formed as a result of what
Page No. 178

Sikkim Manipal University

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

they learn from their personal experiences with reality, product usage, the exposure to advertising or word-of-mouth information from relatives, friends and acquaintances, etc. While attitudes are an outcome of behaviour, they are not the behaviour itself. They only relate to a favourable or unfavourable assessment of the attitude object. As a predisposition, attitudes might either drive the consumer towards a specific behaviour or away from a specific behaviour. Attitudes have consistency One more feature of attitudes is that they are relatively consistent with the behaviour they reflect. However, despite their consistency, they are not essentially permanent and are subject to change. For example, if consumers stated that they like Japanese cars, then they would be expected to purchase a Japanese car whenever they consider buying a car. However, circumstances may obstruct the consistency between attitudes and behaviour; for instance, the matter of price consideration may get in the way. In other words, such circumstances may influence the existing attitude.

7.3 Functional Approach to Attitude Shaping and Change

Using the functional approach to attitude formation, marketers attempt to influence effective responses by using messages that appeal to consumers based on one or more of the following four types of functions specified by Daniel Katz: Utilitarian function This attitude function serves consumers in achieving desired benefits. Consumers hold certain brand attitudes partly because of a brands utility. If a product has been useful in the past, the attitude towards it is likely to be favourable. For example, a consumer who considers quick relief as the most important criterion in selecting an anti-cold remedy will be directed to the brand that offers this benefit. On the other hand, such attitudes will discourage the consumer from seeking brands that are unlikely to fulfil the quick relief criteria. The Crocin Flu and Cold (an anti-cold remedy) commercial reflects the utilitarian function of attitudes when it ensures quick relief. Value-expressive function Attitudes reflect the consumers selfimage, values and outlook, particularly in a high-involvement product. If a consumer segment holds positive attitudes towards being in fashion, then their attitudes are likely to be reflected in this viewpoint. For
Page No. 179

Sikkim Manipal University

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

example, the self-image of a young man buying a motorcycle may be of a macho, domineering person who likes to gain an upper hand. Aggressiveness may reflect itself in purchasing a Royal Enfield Bullet 500cc or a Bajaj Pulsar 180cc bike. Advertisers often appeal to the value-expressive nature of attitudes by implying that purchase or use of a certain product will lead to desired achievement, self-enhancement or independence. Ego-defensive function Attitudes formed to protect the ego or selfimage, from anxieties and threats help fulfil this function. Ads for many personal care products such as mouthwashes, toothpastes, deodorants, anti-pimple creams and cosmetics, etc. serve as a good example. Advertising capitalises on the fear of social embarrassment and rejection and greater social acceptance through use of certain products. This encourages consumers in developing a positive attitude towards brands linked with social acceptance, confidence, appreciation or being attractive and desirable to the opposite sex. Knowledge function Individuals generally have a strong Impulse for knowledge and seek consistency, stability and understanding. To fulfil this need, attitudes help people organise the considerable amount of information to which they are exposed every day. They ignore irrelevant information and store what is meaningful to them. The knowledge function also reduces uncertainty and confusion. Advertising is a means of acquiring information about products and services. Comparative advertising attempts to change consumers negative attitudes towards the advertised brand, based on prior knowledge, by emphasising its advantages over the competing brand.

Self Assessment Questions 1. Avinash watches an ad of a deodorant which shows that if a man doesnt use that deodorant, girls will run away from him. So, Avinash decides to buy it. Here __________ function plays a role. 2. An advertisement says that their biscuits contain proteins and carbohydrates and provide nutrition. This ad reflects the __________ function of attitude. 3. Vijay saw 10 advertisements in a day but remembered only four which were related to bikes because he wanted to buy a bike. This shows __________ function of attitude.
Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 180

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

7.4 Attitude Models

Psychologists have developed many models to understand how attitudes are formed and the relationship between attitudes and behaviour. 7.4.1 Tri-component attitude model According to this model, attitudes consist of three main components: 1. Cognitive component (knowledge, beliefs) 2. Affective component (emotions, feelings) 3. Conative component (behavioural aspect) Cognitive component Consumers beliefs about an attitude-object are the attributes they ascribe to it. These beliefs result from an individuals cognitions or knowledge and perceptions obtained by experience with the attitude object and allied information. For most attitude objects, consumers have a number of beliefs and that a specific behaviour will result in a specific outcome. For example, an individual may believe that ThumsUp: 1. Is popular with younger consumers. 2. Is moderately sweet. 3. Contains a lot of caffeine. 4. Is competitively priced. 5. Is marketed by a large company. Figure 7.1 depicts a representation of the tri-component attitude model.
Cognitive

Affective

Conative

Figure 7.1: Simple Representation of Tri-component Attitude Model

The total configuration of beliefs about ThumsUp represents the cognitive component of attitude about this brand of soft drink. It is important to realise that beliefs need not be correct or true. They just need to exist. Figure 7.2 depicts the components of attitudes and manifestations.

Sikkim Manipal University

Page No. 181

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

Exposure

Component Cognitive

Manifestation Beliefs about specific attributes or overall object.

Attitude

Product, situations, retail feelings outlets, salesmen, advertisements, etc.

Affective

Emotions or feelings about specific attributes or overall object

Overall orientation towards object

Conative

Behavioural intentions with respect to specific attributes or overall object

Figure 7.2: Attitude Components and Manifestations

Affective component Consumers feelings and emotional reactions to an object represent the affective component of an attitude. This relates to consumers overall evaluation of the attitude object. Consumer beliefs about a brands attributes are multidimensional, but the feeling component is only one-dimensional. The consumer who says, I like ThumsUp or ThumsUp is no good, is expressing the results of an affective evaluation. The evaluation can either be good or bad, favourable or unfavourable. Emotionally charged evaluations can also be expressed as happiness, elation, sadness, shame or anger, etc. Conative component Behavioural (conative) component is the likelihood or tendency of an individual to respond in a certain manner towards an attitude object. For example, a series of decisions to purchase or not to purchase a Canon inkjet printer or recommend it to friends would reflect the behavioural component of an attitude. In the context of consumer research and marketing, conative component is treated as intention to buy 7.4.2 Multi-attribute models There are many variations of this model but those developed by Martin Fishbein and his associates are the ones most researched.

Sikkim Manipal University

Page No. 182

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

Attitude-toward-object model This is the simplest model and is appropriate for measuring attitudes towards product/service category, or specific brands. Individuals process information and develop beliefs about many product attributes such as product size, features, style and so on. Consumers generally have favourable attitudes towards those products or brands that they believe have an acceptable level of positive attributes. Conversely, they have unfavourable attitudes towards those brands that they believe do not have an acceptable level of desired attributes or have too many negative attributes. The model is usually shown by the following equation: Attitude 0 = 1 1 b i e i Where, Attitude 0 = The persons overall attitude toward the object b i = The strength of persons belief that the object contains attribute i e i = Persons evaluation or intensity of feeling towards attribute i (importance of attribute) n = The number of relevant beliefs for that person. To illustrate, a consumer may have beliefs (bi) about various brands of fairness cream on certain attributes. One brand may be perceived as helping in preventing pimples. Another brand may be perceived as not having this attribute but faring well on other attributes such as sunscreen and preventing wrinkles. To predict the attitude in this situation, the marketer must know how much importance consumers attach to all these attributes (ei). Beliefs concerning specific attributes or consequences are salient and marketers should try to identify these salient beliefs about products or services. Ideal-point multi-attribute model According to the attitude toward object model, for some attributes a product enjoys consumer liking only up to a point. Any further increase or decrease beyond this point in these attributes is not favoured.. In such situations, the need is to incorporate an ideal point in the above-mentioned model. Attitude0 =
Sikkim Manipal University
11

on

a bi l i ei
Page No. 183

on

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

Where Attitude 0 =

Persons attitude towards the attitude object attribute i The consumers ideal point of performance on attribute I Persons evaluation of feeling towards attribute i (importance of attribute) The number of relevant beliefs for that person.

bi = The strength of persons belief that the brand contains Ii = ei = n =

To illustrate assume that the perceptions of a consumer segment about the brand of a soft drink have the following levels of performance (Ps) and desired performance levels (the Is) on four attributes: Table 1:
(1) Sweet taste Low calories Carbonation high Low price (2) I I (3) (4) I IP (5) P P (6) P (7) Bitter taste High calories Carbonation low High price

This consumer segment believes (the Ps) that the soft drink is very bitter, very high in calories, moderate in carbonation and average priced. Their ideal soft drink (the Is) would be very sweet, very low in calories, average in carbonation and nearly average priced. All attributes are not equally important to consumers and hence they are assigned weights based on relative importance that a segment of consumers attach to each attribute. A commonly used approach of measuring weights is with a 100-point constant-sum scale. The importance weights shown in the Table 2 express the relative importance of four soft drinks attributes and adds up to 100. Table 2:
Attribute Taste Calories Carbonation Price Sikkim Manipal University Importance 30 40 20 10 Page No. 184

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

In this example, calories are viewed as most important attribute and the price as the least important. Attitude Diet Drink = 30 4 = 40 3 = 20 1 = 10 0 = Total = 120 (Taste (I P) = 2 6 = 4) 120 (Calories (I P) = 2 5 = 3) 20 (Carbonation (I P) = 4 5 = 1) 00 (Price (I P) = 4 4 = 0) 260

This involves determining the absolute difference between consumers desired soft drink attributes and the consumers beliefs about the soft drink attributes and multiplying the differences times the importance given to each attribute. In this example, the attitude index is 260. The attitude index is a relative measure and must be compared with segments attitude towards competing brands. If the soft drink brand with its present attributes is believed as their ideal soft drink, then all their beliefs and ideals will be equal and the attitude index would be zero. The closer an attitude index is to zero, the better the object is perceived to be. Attitude towards behaviour model The revised Fishbein and Ajzen model focuses on an individuals attitude towards their behaving or acting with respect to an object and not the attitude towards the object itself. For example, a consumers attitude towards Omega watch (object) may be very positive, but attitude towards the act of purchasing such an expensive watch may be negative. The appeal of this model, as depicted in Figure 7.3, is that it seems to be a better predictor of an individuals actual behaviour than the attitude-towardobject model.

Sikkim Manipal University

Page No. 185

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

Believes that the behaviour leads to certain consequences Attitude towards the behaviour Evaluation of consequences Behavioural intention

Behavioural

Beliefs about perceptions of important referents

Subjective norms about the behaviour

Other intervening factors

Motivations to comply with specific referents

.
Figure 7.3: Representation of Fishbeins Behavioural Intentions Attitude Model

According to this model, working backwards from behaviour such as buying a certain product, brand, or service, the best predictor of behaviour is the intention to act. In the sequence shown, beliefs precede attitude towards the behaviour and normative beliefs precede subjective norms about the behaviour; attitudes and subjective norms precede behavioural intentions and behavioural intentions precede actual behaviour. To predict an individuals behaviour, it is required to determine their attitude towards the specific behaviour in question and subjective norms regarding the behaviour. Each of these would influence the behavioural intention. The Behavioural Intentions Model is expressed as: Attitude (beh) = Where Attitude(beh) = The individuals overall attitude towards performing the specific behaviour b1 = The persons belief that performing that behaviour results in consequence 1 e1 = The persons evaluation of consequence of 1 n = The number of relevant behavioural beliefs.

b e
I 1

1 1

Sikkim Manipal University

Page No. 186

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

Marketers ultimate concern is to influence consumers behaviour. However, marketers are generally unable to directly cause consumers to purchase, use or recommend their products. Consumers will often listen to sales people, attend to other promotional messages, or examine product packages and in this manner marketers indirectly influence their behaviour by providing information, music or other stimuli that influence belief or feeling about the product or service, if the three attitude components are indeed consistent with each other. Activity 1: Collect three print ads, one based on cognitive component, the second based on affective component and the third based on a combination of cognitive and affective components. Discuss the approach of these ads with respect to copy and visuals and what effect they precipitate in terms of attitude. Hint: Consumer beliefs (cognitive component) and feelings (affective component) about a product that lead to attitude formation. For more information, refer to Tri-component attitude model in Section 7.4.1. Self Assessment Questions 4. Sometimes one feels like eating a particular brand of chocolates sometimes one doesnt. This relates to __________ component of an individuals attitude. 5. When a person holds certain beliefs about some features of a particular product, those beliefs are called __________. 6. Anuj thinks that Nano must be a quality car as it is manufactured by Tata Motors. Here __________ component of attitude comes into play.

7.5 Factors That Inhibit Relationship between Beliefs, Feelings and Behaviour
Lack of consumer involvement A favourable attitude requires a need or motive before it can be translated into action. Also, attitudes are less likely to influence behaviour for low-involvement products. Lack of purchase feasibility According to A. Sahni, consumers may have a very positive attitude towards a particular brand but may not have the ability to purchase. For example, a consumer may evaluate an Omega watch very positively but the watch is not a realistic alternative
Page No. 187

Sikkim Manipal University

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

due to insufficient finances. Thus, attitudes are not always related to behaviour. Lack of personal experience with the product Ida E. Berger and Andrew A. Mitchell have reported that when consumers have personal experience with the product, their attitudes are more likely to influence to subsequent purchases. Lack of product experience may cause weakly held attitudes that are not related to behaviour. Lack of relation between consumers values and beliefs If consumers brand beliefs are not closely linked to consumers values, attitudes are unlikely to be linked to behaviour. For example, many consumers believe that VLCCs weight loss programme is very effective, but this belief is not going to predict their behaviour if consumers have no interest in losing weight. Effect of market conditions A steep increase in the price of a favoured brand may influence consumers to switch to other cheaper alternatives, with no change in attitudes. Sales promotions may influence consumers to buy a less preferred brand or unavailability of the preferred brand may cause consumers to buy less preferred brand, with no change in attitudes. Purchase situation Researchers generally measure brand attitudes independent of intervening factors (purchase situation). J. A. Cote, J. McCullough and M. Reilly observe that many items are purchased for, or in, specific situations. Poor attitude accessibility from memory Consumers store brand beliefs in long-term memory as a cluster of beliefs. Russell H. Fazio and Martha C. Powell have reported that lack of a relationship between attitudes and behaviour may be because some attitudes are so weakly held that they are not accessible.

Self Assessment Questions 7. A favourable attitude requires a ______ before it can be translated into action. 8. Individuals store brand beliefs in _____ memory as a cluster of beliefs.

Sikkim Manipal University

Page No. 188

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

7.6 Learning Attitudes

Consumers sometime purchase new products without any prior experience with the category based on their favourable attitude towards a brand name. For example, a consumer who has had a satisfying experience with Samsung refrigerator, washing machine and television, and has no prior experience with a microwave oven, just because of repeated satisfying experience with companys products, may buy a Samsung microwave oven. In this situation, according to the classical conditioning theory, the established brand name (Samsung) serves as unconditioned stimulus through past satisfying experience and the new product (oven) becomes the conditioned stimulus. Personal experience with a product or service is an important factor in the formation of attitudes. Attitudes thus developed tend to be more enduring and resistant to change, compared to indirect experience that consumers develop as a result of exposure to ads. For example, if consumers with bothersome headache approach the nearest chemist shop looking for some OTC drug and the only available product is Disprin, which they have never used before and hence have no attitude towards it. After consuming Disprin, they get quick relief from headache. This satisfying experience results in a favourable attitude towards Disprin. The same thing happens in case of trials of free samples or trial purchases of many low-cost products. Next to direct personal experience, family, friends and those individuals we admire or respect influence us in forming our attitudes. The family is a particularly important influence because this is where we acquire many of our basic values and beliefs through reinforcement of behaviours. In case of high-involvement rational purchases, consumers form positive or negative attitudes as a result of detailed information processing. However, this detailed information processing leads to just two or three important beliefs that determine the resulting attitude. This means that advertisers need to focus on a very limited number of relevant differentiating points about a product or service. Self Assessment Questions 9. Personal experience with a product or service is an important factor in the formation of attitudes. (True/False)

Sikkim Manipal University

Page No. 189

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

10. A satisfying experience leads to the formation of favourable attitude towards the brand. (True/False) Caselet: Online shopping in India and consumer attitude formation Internet is altering the way consumers shop for goods and services, and online shopping has fast become a global phenomenon. In the Indian scenario it is likely for services to sell more in the online shopping mode as compared to tangible products due to the relatively lower perceived risk with services. A positive consumer attitude results in the consumers acceptance of the Internet as a shopping channel and reliability of a specific Internet store. Many Indians purchase goods like books, electronic gadgets, air and rail tickets, apparel, gifts, mobiles, computer peripherals, audio cassettes and CDs online. ASSOCHAM statistics state that books are the prime selling products on internet. Studies reveal that every day air and railway tickets worth Rs.300 million are sold online. As per the popular website eBay.com, a jewellery piece is bought every five minutes, a mobile handset every eight minutes, and a car every nine hours. Contributing reasons for a positive Internet shopping attitude Enjoyment With several online shopping sites and discount sites such as Snapdeal.com, Internet shopping has become a source of an enjoyment. Experience and trust Customers having a good online shopping experience with specific stores gain trust in these online stores and hence develop the attitude to shop online. To endow customers with a good and informed shopping experience, websites provide online catalogues. Endorsements from satisfied customers in the form of product reviews and rating systems also helps in increasing trust toward online stores. All these translate into a favourable e-retailing attitude. Quality of Internet connection With faster Internet connectivity available, quality of Internet shopping is a better experience.

Perceived risk in online shopping Despite the above mentioned pros and a healthy growing trend towards Internet shopping, the Internet is a relatively new distribution channel and hence many people use it only to seek information and make the actual
Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 190

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

purchase offline. This could be because of the higher perceived risk of electronic commerce in contrast to traditional commerce. The major concerns perceived with e-commerce are: Security of online payments and privacy of personal information These constitute what is called financial risk, which is not related to the money involved in the transaction but to the risk that consumer perceives of losing money due to possible credit card fraud and misuse of private information. Product risk This refers to the risk of the product performance or functionality not being as per consumer anticipation. It is high for technologically complex and expensive products like electronics and hardware. It is also relatively high for food items but relatively low for apparel.

Studies show that perceived risk influences both attitudes towards online shopping and intention to shop online. However, perceived risk declines with internet shopping experience. Building a positive attitude by resolving perceived risk It is imperative for managers to decrease the perceived risks of e-commerce in order to be able to develop a pro e-commerce consumer attitude. In order to minimise financial risk, online sellers provide secure and safe channels not only for monetary transactions but also for sensitive and proprietary information consumer furnishes during the course of the transaction. Performance risks are minimised by designing good websites that enhance the shopping experience by eliminating the impersonal nature of the Internet shopping using virtual characters or chat assistants. Other perceived concerns such as those related to delivery time are minimised through effective logistics solutions.
Source: Adapted from online sources.

7.7 Changing Attitudes

An important strategy consideration for most marketers is to affect alteration of consumer attitudes and reinforce the existing positive attitudes about their brands to ward off any competitive attacks. In fact, reinforcing attitudes is
Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 191

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

comparatively easier than changing attitudes. Most advertising for wellknown brands attempts to maintain and reinforce positive attitudes. Taste of India, Believe in the best, and Just Do It, are some of the long-running campaigns attempting to reinforce consumer attitudes. It is easier to change beliefs than to change desired benefits. Marketers could attempt either to change brand beliefs or change the benefits consumers desire by changing the value of attributes. Consumers desired benefits are more enduring than beliefs. For example, a manufacturer of OTC products produces a brand of common cold remedy that consumers regard as stronger and as providing quick relief. Most consumers generally put more value on the benefits of a mild and safe anti-cold drug that doctors recommend. It is easier to change brand beliefs than to change brand attitudes. The high-involvement hierarchy models suggest that change in beliefs precedes a change in attitudes (feelings). Thus, under conditions of high-involvement, changing consumers beliefs should be easier than changing their brand attitudes. For example, the information that a certain scooter accelerates from 0 to 60 kilometres in four seconds will change the beliefs about the scooter, but the evaluation of the scooter will not necessarily change unless consumers realise some benefit in fast acceleration. Changing attitudes is a more relevant vehicle than changing beliefs for hedonic products. Products purchased based on emotion or fantasy, rely on feelings (attitude) rather than beliefs (cognitions). Products purchased for pleasure are high-involvement and due to this reason, changing attitudes is more strategic. It is easier to change attitudes for low-involvement products. Under conditions of low-involvement, consumers are not committed to the brand. For example, there has been a campaign to convince consumers that milk has nutritional value for everyone. Because milk is basically a low-involvement product, it is not a source of self-identity and is not egointensive and hence easier to change attitude toward such as product. It is easier to change weak attitudes than to change strong ones. If consumers do not hold strong feelings (attitudes) about brands, any commitment is non-existent and brand switching is quite common.
Page No. 192

Sikkim Manipal University

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

Marketers can establish new links with the brand. For example, toothpastes are considered as a low-involvement item and consumers hold weak attitudes due to lack of much differentiation. In such as scenario, it is easier to influence attitudes for toothpastes with no fluoride content such as the Himalaya tooth paste. Colgate communicated the message that its brand checks bad breath and depicted in its commercials how embarrassing bad breath can be (Colgate commercial of Suraksha Chakra). It is easier to change attitudes of consumers who have less confidence in their brand evaluations. Consumers who are not really sure of their evaluations of a brand tend to be more receptive to the informative advertising messages and more prone to attitude change. Activity 2: Create two advertisements prints for a wrist watch brand. One designed to reinforce an existing attitude and the other attempting to change an existing attitude. Hint: Wrist watch can be considered as a moderately high-involvement product. For more information, refer to instances where attitude change is easier in Section 7.7. Self Assessment Questions 11. It is easier to change brand attitudes than brand beliefs. (True/False) 12. It is easier to change attitudes formed for a salt or sugar brand. (True/False)

7.8 Attitude Changes Strategies

7.8.1 Multi-attribute models and attitude change On the basis of Fishbeins multi-attribute model, four strategies can be considered to change attitudes: By changing the values consumers place on product attributes (ei component in the model). By changing consumers brand beliefs (bi component in the model). By changing brand evaluations (Attitude component). By changing behavioural intentions (Attitude (beh)).
Page No. 193

Sikkim Manipal University

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

The four strategies have been discussed in detail in the following section. Changing values placed on product attributes Most consumers consider some product attributes to be more important than others. Marketers often try to convince consumers about the superiority or importance of those attributes on which their brands are relatively strong. This requires attempting to convince consumers to reassess the value associated with a certain attribute. For example, Apple computers do not have a floppy drive and convince consumers that floppies are not reliable for storing data. Epson attempts to convince consumers that its inkjet printers need no change of printing head every time the ink cartridge is changed. A marketer may convince consumers that bad taste is good quality in a mouthwash. Changing consumers beliefs A common and effective approach adopted by most marketers to changing attitudes is to focus on the cognitive component. The strategy of changing beliefs focuses on shifting marketers attempting to shift the importance consumers place on certain attributes to those attributes on which their brand is stronger. This can be done by introducing new attributes in the brands and emphasising the importance of existing ones. Epson printers emphasise the importance of Micro Peizo technology leading to superior colour reproduction in prints. Apple convinces consumers that its computers use the power processor. This makes these computers technologically different and superior. Bajaj advertises that its DTSi engines are fuel efficient. Changing brand evaluations This strategy focuses on influencing consumers overall brand attitudes without any reference to specific attributes. This can be accomplished by associating a positive feeling with product usage. Hero Honda commercial hum mein hai hero is one such attempt. Changing behaviour Consumers purchase or use behaviour may precede the development of cognition and effect. According to D. S. Kempf, behaviour can lead directly to effect, to cognitions, or to both at the same time. Consumers frequently try inexpensive new brands in the absence of any prior knowledge or effect. For example, a consumer feels thirsty and notices a new brand of cold drink with a vendor and
Page No. 194

Sikkim Manipal University

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

uses it. Such purchases are often as much for knowledge as for satisfaction of some need such as thirst. Sometimes, marketers induce consumers to buy a brand that is not preferred by offering some concession. The assumption is that once consumers try the brand there may be a change in their attitudes. For example, a detergent is offered at a discount price and the consumer, after using it, realises that there is hardly any difference in the performance of the new brand and the regular brand. The consumer decides to continue using the new brand and stays with it even when the price returns to normal list price. 7.8.2 Katz functional theory and attitude change Daniel Katz pointed out four functions performed by attitudes. As already discussed, these functions include utilitarian function, value-expressive function, ego-defensive function and knowledge function. Attitude change can be brought through these functions. Changing attitudes through utilitarian function One very effective approach to changing brand attitudes is to show how the product can solve a problem not considered earlier. Teflon has found multiple uses; M-seal is used for sealing leakages; however, auto repair shops and garages use it for levelling minor dents and deep scratches (this second utilitarian function has not been promoted by the manufacturers). Changing attitude through the value-expressive function Attitudes reflect our general values, lifestyles and outlook. It is difficult to change value-expressive function because these relate to personal values and are very important to people. For example, committed vegetarian consumers would not use products that contain animal fats. Changing attitude through ego-defensive function Very strongly held attitudes often serve the ego-defensive function and are least likely to accept outside influences. A cigarette smoker or tobacco chewer is quite likely to ignore any information about the dangers associated with smoking or tobacco chewing. This is an ego-defensive function and results in an attempt to deliberately avoid painful information. Changing attitudes through the knowledge function This approach of changing attitudes is based on consumers cognitive needs. Knowledge function facilitates the information-processing task. Most

Sikkim Manipal University

Page No. 195

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

marketers attempt to create a clear and unambiguous positioning for their brands to develop favourable consumer attitudes. 7.8.3 Elaboration likelihood model and attitude change As discussed earlier, under conditions of high-involvement, consumers process information through a central route. They deliberately and consciously examine and process message elements that in their belief have relevance to a meaningful and logical evaluation of the brand. Under conditions of low-involvement, consumers use more peripheral route in which non-message elements such as music, colour or spokesperson are more likely to be processed. This means that under high-involvement conditions, attitude change can best be accomplished through messages that convey information about product attributes, benefits and performance. ELM model also considers the importance of consumers thoughts (referred to as cognitive responses) when they are processing marketing related messages. According to this thinking, under conditions of high-involvement, consumers produce thoughts that are more relevant to messages. For instance, a weight-conscious consumer who sees an ad of Personal Point Weight Reduction Programme may think, This looks like quite a promising programme, I think I should join it. Or, the consumer may think, I dont believe their claims, no one can lose weight so fast without serious repercussions. In the first case, the thoughts support the ad message and are called Support Arguments (SAs). The second type of thinking represents Counter Argument (CAs) to the ad message. The presence of such thoughts indicates that the consumer is processing information in a high-involvement context. Under conditions of low-involvement, consumers may react with thoughts about the models looks, spokespersons voice or dress, or the background etc., which are all peripheral cues and not related to the ad message. For example, a consumer who is not interested in weight-loss or gain may think, Personal Point is a modern organisation and they have used a very pretty-looking model. Such favourable thoughts about the message source are referred to as Source Bolsters. On the other hand, the consumer might think, This ad is released by Personal Point and their aim is to sell this programme, so why should anyone believe their claims? Such negative thoughts about the source are called Source Derogations.
Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 196

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

7.8.4 Behaviour and attitude formation Attitude formation and change emphasises the conventional opinion that consumers develop their attitudes before undertaking action. However, there are alternative perspectives to this traditional view that are just as logical and rational. The following theories give a different justification as to why behaviour may precede attitude formation. Cognitive dissonance theory Leon Festinger suggested that consumers experience a feeling of doubt, discomfort or dissonance when they have conflicting notions about a belief or an attitude object. These feelings of disharmony are referred to as cognitive dissonance. For example, purchase decisions, particularly of expensive items, give rise to feelings of dissonance when consumers think of the exclusive qualities of the brands that they did not choose to purchase. When cognitive dissonance occurs after buying a product or a commitment to buy, it is called post purchase dissonance. Purchase decisions, particularly of expensive items require some compromise and hence feelings of dissonance are quite normal. However, they are likely to cause consumers uneasy about their beliefs prior to the purchase and hence they tend to resolve this uneasiness by changing their attitudes. Thus, in case of post purchase dissonance, attitude change is often a result of behaviour. The probability that consumers will experience dissonance and the intensity of this dissonance depends on: The degree of commitment If it is easier to alter the decision, the consumer is less likely to experience dissonance. The importance of the decision If the purchase decision is more important, it is more likely that the consumer will experience dissonance. The difficulty of choosing among alternatives Decision difficulty depends on the number of alternatives considered, the number of relevant attributes linked with each alternative and the extent to which each alternative possesses the attributes not present in the other alternatives. If it is difficult to choose from among the alternatives, it is more likely that the consumer will experience dissonance.

Sikkim Manipal University

Page No. 197

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

The individuals personality characteristics Some individuals have a greater tendency of experiencing anxiety than others. If they happen to be of nervous type, it is more likely that they would experience dissonance.

Marketers can relieve consumer dissonance by adopting several strategies. Kenneth B Runyon has suggested five strategies to reduce dissonance and favourably influence consumer attitudes towards the product: Provide additional product information and suggestions for product care and maintenance through brochures or advertising. Provide warranties and guarantees to reduce post purchase doubt. Ensure good service and immediate follow-up on complaints to provide post-purchase support. Advertise reliable product quality and performance to reassure recent purchasers of product satisfaction. Follow up after the purchase with direct contacts to make sure the customer understands how to use the product and to ensure satisfaction. Attribution theory According to the attribution theory (D. J. Bem), consumers seek to determine causes (attributions) for events based on their own behaviour or others behaviour and making judgements about it. These attributions could result from: Self perception Inferences from causes for their own behaviour which could be internal attributions and external attributions. Consumers are also likely to take all the credit themselves for any success (internal attribution) and attribute failures to others or external causes (external attribution). Attribution towards others Relevant with regard to action of others such as a family member, salesperson, friend etc. as they influence action taken. Attribution toward things Product (things) attributions result from evaluating product performance that is, whether a product meets expectations or not. Accordingly, consumers would attribute successful

Sikkim Manipal University

Page No. 198

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

product performance (or failure) to the product itself, to themselves, to other people or situations or a combination of these factors. Activity 3: Collect advertisements for various brands of Personal Computers (PCs). Discuss how they attempt to change consumer attitudes about PCs. Do you think those ads serve the purpose? Hint: Identify attitude change strategies reflected in the ads and discuss. For more information, refer to theories in sections 7.8.1, 7.8.2 and 7.8.3 Self Assessment Questions 13. Anita fills her wardrobe with expensive clothing, but later thinks that she paid more for what she got. In this situation, Anita is experiencing cognitive dissonance. (True/False) 14. Varun bought a T-shirt that is non-returnable from a sale. In such a case, Varun is likely to experience less dissonance. (True/False) 15. Karan uses All Clear dandruff shampoo and feels that he likes the shampoo. This relates to attribution theory. (True/False) 16. Cognitive dissonance theory was given by Leon Festinger. (True/False)

7.9 Summary
Recapitulation of important concepts discussed in this unit: Attitudes are learnt predispositions and represent an enduring organisation of motivational, emotional, perceptual and cognitive processes with respect to some aspect of our environment. Attitudes perform several functions. Utilitarian function serves consumers in accomplishing desired benefits; value-expressive function serves to reflect the consumers self-image, values and outlook; egodefensive function helps protect ones ego or self-image from anxieties and threats; and knowledge function serves to organise information and reduces uncertainty and confusion for individuals. Important attitude models include multi-attribute models and theory of trying model. Attitude change strategies can focus on any of the attitude components: thinking, feeling, behavioural or some combination of these components.
Page No. 199

Sikkim Manipal University

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

Changing consumers cognition or beliefs usually involves information processing and cognitive learning. Attempting to influence feelings or the affective component generally involves classical conditioning approaches, and to bring about a change in behaviour, strategies rely more on instrumental conditioning approaches. Marketers can relieve consumers cognitive dissonance by providing additional information concerning the product use and care, by offering warranties and guaranties, by ensuring follow-up and good after-sales service.

7.10 Glossary
Attitude A learned tendency to behave in a consistently favourable or unfavourable way toward a certain object. Affective component The constituent of the tri-component attitude model that represents a consumers emotions or feelings pertaining to an idea or object. Attitude object Products, product categories, brands, services, possessions, product uses, advertisements, price, media, or retailers etc., with respect to which consumers form attitudes. Attitude toward behaviour model A model that advocates that consumers attitudes concerning a specific behaviour is based on how strongly they believe that the action will lead result in a specific favourable or unfavourable outcome. Attitude-toward-object model A model that advocates that a consumers attitude concerning a product/brand is based on the object possessing certain attributes and the consumers assessment of those attributes. Attribution theory A theory related to how people attribute causes to events, and form or change their attitudes by evaluating their own or other peoples behaviour. Beliefs Mental or verbal expressions that indicate a persons particular knowledge and judgment about some idea or thing. Cognitive dissonance The discomfort or disharmony that consumers feel due to conflicting information about products, when considering a purchase.
Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 200

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

Conative component The constituent of the tri-component attitude model that indicates a consumers tendency to behave in a certain manner toward an attitude object. Ego-defensive function A part of the functional approach to attitudechange which proposes that consumers tend to shield their self-concepts from inner feelings of doubt.

7.11 Terminal Questions

1. What are attitudes? What functions do attitudes perform to help consumers? 2. Discuss three component model of attitudes. What is the relevance of this model to advertising objectives? 3. What are the factors that inhibit formation of attitudes? How are attitudes formed? 4. Discuss the application of multi-attribute model in changing consumer attitudes. 5. Should a marketer of luxury cars use three component model, the attitude toward object model or the attitude toward behaviour model to evaluate consumer attitudes regarding the companys cars? Explain. 6. What is cognitive dissonance? Briefly explain Leon Festingers theory. Give a real life example where a marketer took measures to reduce cognitive dissonance.

7.12 Answers
Self 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Assessment Questions Ego-defensive Utilitarian Knowledge Affective Salient Cognitive Need or motive Long-term True True
Page No. 201

Sikkim Manipal University

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

False True False False True True

Terminal Questions 1. Attitudes are learned predispositions to respond to an object or class. Attitudes influence buying behaviour. For more details, refer section 7.2. 2. Cognitive, conative and affective are the three component model of attitudes. Discuss the use of appeals in advertisement corresponding to these components. For more details, refer section 7.3. 3. Factors like lack of involvement inhibit attitude formation and personal experiences lead to attitude formation. For more details, refer sections 7.4 and 7.5. 4. Attitude formation and change emphasises the conventional opinion that consumers develop their attitudes before undertaking action. The model discusses four strategies of attitude change. For more details, refer sections 7.4 and 7.8. 5. Write with respect to your assessment of the three component theory and multi attribute theory. For more details, refer section 7.3. 6. Leon Festinger suggested that consumers experience a feeling of doubt, discomfort or dissonance when they have conflicting notions about a belief or an attitude object. These feelings of disharmony are referred to as cognitive dissonance. For more details, refer section 7.7.

7.13 Case Study

Anti-smoking Campaigns Study this advertisement carefully. Consider its headline, sub-headline and the visual. The ad is meant to discourage smoking. It makes use of fear appeal, and invites smokers to think and decide (conclusion drawing is left to the reader). The basic purpose is to bring about a change in the attitudes of smokers.

Sikkim Manipal University

Page No. 202

Consumer Behaviour

Unit 7

Discussion Question: Do you think such ads can change the attitudes of consumers who are in the habit of smoking? Give your reasons. Hint: No (for more information, refer to ego-defensive function of attitude)
(Source: Batra and Kazmi, Consumer Behaviour Text and Cases, Excel Books)

References: Consumer Behavior by Leon G Schiffman and Leslie Lazar Kanuk, Prentice Hall India Consumer Behaviour: Text and Cases by Satish K Batra and SHH Kazmi, Excel Books, New Delhi E-references: www.slideshare.net, www.ipedr.com

Sikkim Manipal University

Page No. 203