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Unit 4: Consumer Attitude Formation & Change - Coggle Diagram
Unit 4: Consumer Attitude Formation & Change
Attitude = learned predisposition to behave in a consistently favourable or unfavourable way with respect to a given object
consumers’ attitude is strongly influenced by personal experience, family and friends, direct marketing, mass marketing, and the Internet
Structured Models of Attitude
Tri-component Attitude Model
Cognitive Component
knowledge and perception of product or brand features
which leads to the formation of certain beliefs -> leads to positive or negative attitude
Affective Component
consumer's emotions and feelings about a product/brand
expressed as favourable or unfavourable attitude toward a brand
reflects consumer's global assessment of the attitude object
Conative Component
actions or behaviour toward a product/brand
expressed as intention to purchase a brand
Multi-Attribute Attitude Model
overall attitude as a function of the beliefs and perceptions consumers hold for the various attributes of a given attitude object
Attitude-Toward-Object Model
the extent to which the product has given its set of attributes
the importance of each attributes to the person
give marketers a better idea of what attributes to highlight in an advertisement
Attitude-Toward Behaviour Model
an individual’s attitude toward a particular behaviour or action
function of the consumer’s belief about the possible consequences and the desirability of those consequences
Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) Model
comprehensive integration of attitude components -> leads to a better explanation & prediction of behaviour
takes into account the cognitive, conative, and affective components to predict purchase behaviour of consumers
considering not only consumer's action but also the attitudes of significant/relevant others
Normative Beliefs (NB): individual’s perceptions about significant others’ expectation
Motivation to comply (MC): individual’s willingness to go along with the perceived expectations of significant others
Theory of Trying-to-Consume Model
Marketers look for situations where consumers might face either personal or environmental impediments and thus fail to try to consume
e.g. “Oatmeal for weight control” -> marketer encourages the consumer not to fail to abide
advertisement with respect to weight loss or slimming or bust enhancement or hair loss prevention, marketer’s aim is to constantly remind the consumer of the impediment in case he or she forgets -> helps consumer overcome impediments
Attitude-Toward-the-Ad Model
predicts that the consumer will form feelings and judgments as a result of exposure to the advertisement
affecting the consumer's attitude towards the brand/product
Marketers should take care not to offend the audience
Sources of Influence on Attitude Formation
Personal Experience
consumer offered to take a taste test -> opportunity for the consumer to develop a favourable attitude towards the product
e.g. test driving a car, conducting open houses in universities
Family & Friends
influence of family and friends on purchase decisions is strong.
e.g. banks have special "introduce a friend" deals
Direct Marketing
targeted at small segments of markets with special needs
target consumers on the basis of demographic, psychographic, or geo-demographic profiles with customised product offerings
Mass Marketing
targeting consumers in general
using mail boxes, newspapers, taxis, buses, train stations, and sources wherever people can see, read, and absorb messages
Internet
most cost-efficient medium of advertising in a very short time
Personality factors
also play an important role in attitude formation
Strategies for Attitude Change
Changing the Basic Motivational Function
Functional Theory of Attitude
Utilitarian Function
utility value of a brand which appeals to the consumer is highlighted by the marketer in the advertisements
If a consumer is not satisfied with the utility value of a product, it can be modified to change the attitude
Ego-Defensive Function
consumer seek products that they think will give them security & confidence -> want to protect their self-image & due to inner feeling of inadequacy
e.g. advertisement for cosmetic products for women of all ages caters to their ego-defensive function
Value-Expressive Function
reflect the values, lifestyle, and outlook of the consumers
e.g. highly-priced watches -> marketers want to impress consumers that these watches satisfy the value-expressive function
Knowledge Function
Consumers’ cognitive “need to know” is an important angle for marketers to position their product and change consumer attitudes
Combining Several Functions
combines the four functions in one advertisement for four different types of consumers in the same target market as they could be sensitive to these functions
Working on the Tricomponent Attitude Model
changing product beliefs
marketers attempt to change consumers' cognitive thoughts about the product/brand by offering rational appeals or logical arguments
associating product with a special group, event or cause
based on affective components -> tie-in with a special group, event or cause could enhance consumers' feeling and overall assessment of the brand
changing the overall brand image
touches on the affective component of the attitude
e.g. latest message for local grown “Tiger Beer” is “From North Bride to New York!” -> Tiger Beer attempt to change the brand rating for the product from just "local" to "global"
changing beliefs about competitors
change belief of consumers about competing brands
appeals to consumers’ cognitive thought about the brand and enhances their intention to purchase
marketers should weigh the benefits as it involves giving a free ride to competitor brand in advertising
Altering Components of the Multi-Attribute Model
changing the relative importance of attributes
In a competitive business environment, it is the relative evaluation of different attributes that appeal to different segments and an astute marketer will leverage that and succeed
changing brand or product beliefs
cognition-oriented strategy where marketers convince consumers that the usual brand they favour now offers more or new benefits
e.g. Colgate brands ranging from appealing to children to adults, to smokers, to the health conscious, and to ageing segments
information provided by marketers has to be compelling, essential & believable so that there is a desired shift in attitude
adding an attribute
Sometimes, marketers add an attribute that was originally ignored or one that represents improvement or technological innovation
in this strategy, the presence or absence of an attribute highlighted change the attitude of consumers
e.g. Shoe makers adding an attribute for convenience like pump-style soles in shoes for better protection of feet
attributes of the product and ideas for improvement
attributes of the product and ideas for improvement
marketers have to make the negative attitude look much weaker compared to the positive one
e.g. provide testimonials to increase trust for the brand
Elaboration Likelihood Model of Attitude Change
consumer attitude can be changed through two routes of persuasion -> which route depends on their involvement in the purchase decision
Central Route Persuasion
consumer’s motivation and ability are high with respect to assessing the product
spends more time getting information
marketer should provide all the necessary information for the consumer to assess the product
Peripheral Route to Persuasion
motivation or assessment skills are low, involvement of consumer is low
marketers should target them by providing cents-off coupons, free samples, messages through celebrity endorsers,
Behaviour or Attitudes come first?
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Cognitive Dissonance
= when consumer starts thinking about the benefits of the unchosen options
when it happens after purchase = post-purchase dissonance
marketers should direct the consumer to the benefits of the products over the competitors' at the time of or after purchase
e.g. warranties and messages in their advertisements aimed at reinforcing consumers’ decisions, complimenting them for their purchase, and providing clear instructions on the usage of the product or service
Attribution Theory
attribute a cause or several causes to our own behaviour or behaviour of others
consumers express approval by rewarding those products and companies which they have a
positive attitude
rejecting or spreading negative word of mouth for about companies which they have an
unfavourable attitude
towards due to unpleasant experiences
Foot-in-the-Door Technique
psychology of compliance with an initial small request that would mellow the person to comply to a bigger request at a later time
marketer offers a believable small incentive to effect an attitude change
e.g. individual is approached to donate $10 towards earthquake victims -> positive internal attribution towards his act -> willing to donate a larger amount next time
Self-Perception Theory
discuss individuals’ inferences or judgments as to the cause of their own behaviour
Internal Attribution
e.g. when the effect of the product is seen, the internal attribution leads the consumer to claim credit
External Attribution
e.g. when the effect of the product is less than expected, the blame is shifted to the performance of the product
guides the marketer to develop products of high quality & convey messages s in such a way that the internal and external attributions are to the advantage of the products
Door-in-the-Face Technique
marketer starts off with a huge incentive such as two-for-the-price-of-one to effect a change in the attitude towards purchase behaviour
fit only specific situations as it is a riskier and more expensive proposition
Attribution Towards Others
when consumers feel that the salesperson’s pitch is non-partisan and geared towards their benefit = positive attitude
consumers will readily reject the offer by a salesperson if they feel the pitch is more towards earning a commission
marketer has to bear this in mind while training salespeople or delivering goods on time or coming up with positive messages
Attribution Toward Things
products = things
product performance can lead them to form product attributions
criteria: distinctiveness, consistency & consensus
Marketers and consumer researchers pay attention to such attributions by consumers because they provide valuable insights into the various attributes of the product and ideas for improvement