Consumer Attitude Formation

and Change

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 Learning Objectives
1. To Understand What Attitudes Are, How They Are
Learned, as Well as Their Nature and Characteristics.
2. To Understand the Composition and Scope of
Selected Models of Attitudes.
3. To Understand How Experience Leads to the Initial
Formation of Consumption-Related Attitudes.
4. To Understand the Various Ways in Which Consumers
Attitudes Are Changed.
5. To Understand How Consumers Attitudes Can Lead to
Behavior and How Behavior Can Lead to Attitudes.

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 What Are Attitudes?
A learned predisposition to behave in a
consistently favorable or unfavorable manner with
respect to a given object.
-The attitude object
-Attitudes are a learned predisposition
(therefore, their development is influenced by
personality of the individual, family, peers, experience,
education, culture, subculture, nationality)
-Attitudes have consistency
-Attitudes occur within a situation
Think of situations that might influence your
attitudes 3
Therefore we need to know
Why Do Consumers Form Attitudes?
(The Functions of Attitudes)

How Do Consumers Form Attitudes?

(Attitude Formation)

How Do Consumers Change Their Attitudes?

(Attitude Change and Persuasion)

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Functional Theory of Attitudes
UTILITARIAN VALUE-EXPRESSIVE
FUNCTION: FUNCTION:

Relates to rewards Expresses consumers

and punishments values or self-concept

EGO-DEFENSIVE
KNOWLEDGE
FUNCTION:
FUNCTION:
Protect ourselves from
Need for order, structure,
external threats
or meaning
or internal feelings

Daniel Katz developed the functional theory of attitudes to explain how attitudes facilitate
social behaviour. This theory suggests that attitudes exist because they serve some function
for the person. Two people can have an attitude toward some object for very different reasons.
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 Attitude Commitment

INTERNALIZATION
Highest level: deep-seeded attitudes become part
of consumers value system

IDENTIFICATION
Mid-level: attitudes formed in order to conform to
another person or group

COMPLIANCE
Lowest level: consumer forms attitude because it
gains rewards or avoids punishments

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 Consistency Principle
We value/seek harmony among thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors
We will change components to make them
consistent
Relates to the theory of cognitive dissonance
we take action to resolve dissonance when
our attitudes and behaviors are inconsistent

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 Social Judgment Theory
We adapt new information about attitude objects
in light of what we already know/feel
Initial attitude = frame of reference
Latitudes of acceptance and rejection
Assimilation effects (Ideas that fall within the latitude are
deemed favorable but others are not. Messages that fall within the
latitudes are deemed consistent even if they are not. )
Contrast effects (ideas that fall outside our latitude of acceptance
are rejected even if they are not that different. )

Ink Smoking-social Judgement.avi

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 Structural Models of Attitudes
Tricomponent Attitude Model
Multiattribute Attitude Model
The Trying-to-Consume Model
Attitude-Toward-the-Ad Model

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 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 (Behaviour 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
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Hierarchies of Effects

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 Hierarchy of Effects

This sweater looks so

good on the mannequin
that some consumers just
have to have it. In other
words, they fall in love
with it and buy it. Once
they get it home they learn
about it by looking at the
tag to see if it needs to be
dry cleaned. Whats the
ABC sequence.
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Washing machines are about as
expensive as other major appliances
but are usually hidden in the basement,
and few care about how they look.
Washing machines are functional.
When buying one it is likely consumers
will visit several stores first, talk to
salesmen check the Internet etc. i.e.
Consumers gather information,
consider the alternatives and then
choose a model. When they discover it
doesnt clean their clothes theyre likely
to return it. The ABC sequence is?

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

Types Attitude is function of

the presence of certain
The attitude-toward- beliefs or attributes.
object model Useful to measure
The attitude-toward- attitudes toward
behavior model product and service
Theory-of-reasoned- categories or specific
action model brands.
Havells-attitude
towards object.avi
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 Fishbeins Multiattribute Model
Aj = BijIi
Where:
i = attribute or product characteristic
j= brand
Such that:
A = the consumers attitude score for brand j
I = the importance weight given to attribute i by the
consumer
B = the consumers belief as to the extent to which a
satisfactory level of attribute i is offered by brand j

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 Marketing Applications
of the Multiattribute Model
Capitalize on Relative Advantage

Strengthen Perceived Linkages

Add a New Attribute

Influence Competitors Ratings

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 Multiattribute Attitude Models

Types
The attitude-toward- Is the attitude toward
object model behaving or acting with
The attitude-toward- respect to an object,
behavior model rather than the attitude
Theory-of-reasoned- toward the object itself
action model Corresponds closely to
actual behavior

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 Multiattribute Attitude Models

Types
The attitude-toward- Includes cognitive,
object model affective, and conative
The attitude-toward- components
behavior model Includes subjective
Theory-of-reasoned- norms in addition to
action model attitude

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A Simplified Version of the Theory of
Reasoned Action

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 Theory of Reasoned Action
Extends multiattribute model; tries to
compensate for the inability of the
multiattribute model to predict behavior.
Assumes that consumers consciously
consider the consequences of alternative
behaviors under consideration and choose
the one that leads to the most desirable
consequences.
The outcomes of this reasoned choice
process is an intention to engage in a selected
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behavior--behavioral intention.
 Theory of Reasoned Action
B~BI = Aact(w1) + SN(w2)
Where:
B = a specific behavior
BI = consumers intention to engage in that
behavior
Aact = consumers attitude toward engaging in that
behavior
SN = subjective norm regarding whether other
people want the consumer to engage in that
behavior
w1 & w2 = weights that reflect the relative influence of
the Aact and SN components on BI

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

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Theory of Trying

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 A model that proposes
that a consumer forms
various feelings (affects)
and judgments
(cognitions) as the result
Attitude- of exposure to an
advertisement, which, in
Toward-the-
turn, affect the
Ad Model consumers attitude
toward the ad and
attitude toward the
brand.nestle sibling
bonding.avi

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

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 Attitude change
Under what conditions do what kinds of
attitudes of what kinds of individuals predict
what kinds of behaviour?

Situational moderators; attitudinal qualities;

personal moderators, individual differences;
behavioural properties

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 Three components

Thoughts
Feelings
Actions

Can we change attitudes by changing these

components?

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 Thoughts

Changed by persuasive communications (i.e.,

new information)
Air purifier.avi
What qualities makes a communication
persuasive?
How does persuasion occur? (Elaboration-Likelihood
Model ELM, Heuristic Systematic Model HSM)
When do people resist persuasive
communications?
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How are Attitudes formed through Affect(Emotion)
The mere exposure effect (Tendency to prefer
known over unknown objects, Not dependent on
reasoning or active consideration)
Classical conditioning
Attitude toward the ad (Transfer of affect from ad
to product, Dual Mediation Hypothesis)
Mood (Biasing effect on attitudes, Congruence
with product, Effect of colors/lighting on mood)

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 Influencing Affectively Based
Low-Elaboration Attitudes
Source factors Message factors
attractiveness Pleasant pictures
likability Music
celebrity status Humor
Sex
Emotional involvement
Contextual factors
Repetition
Program/editorial context

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 Actions

Changed through rewards & modelling

Induced compliance

If negatively aroused by inconsistency

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 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 Multi-attribute Model

Changing Beliefs about Competitors Brands

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 Elaboration Likelihood Model-Customer attitudes are changed by two
distinctly different routes to persuasion: a central route or a peripheral route.

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 Why Might Behavior Precede
Attitude Formation?
Cognitive Dissonance
Theory Behave (Purchase)

Attribution Theory

Form Attitude Form Attitude

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 Behavior Can Precede or Follow
Attitude Formation
Cognitive Dissonance
Attribution Theory
Theory
Holds that discomfort A theory concerned
or dissonance occurs with how people assign
when a consumer holds causality to events and
conflicting thoughts form or alter their
about a belief or an attitudes as an outcome
attitude object. of assessing their own
or other peoples
behavior.

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