Consumer Behavior

CHAPTER 11

Attitudes and Influencing Attitudes

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PART III: INTERNAL INFLUENCES

L01 Define attitude and its role in consumer behavior

Summarize the three components of attitudes

Discuss attitude change strategies associated with each

attitude component

Describe the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion

Describe the role of message source, appeal, and

structure on attitudes

Discuss segmentation and product development

applications of attitudes

L02

L06

L05

L04

L03

Learning Objectives

What is an attitude?

the way we feel, believe, and act toward some

aspect of our environment

Attitude Components (ABC Model of Attitudes)

Affective Component (feelings or emotional reactions to an object; positive/negative, strong/weak)

Examples? Honda Civic, Diet Coke

Behavioral Component (responses to tendencies; purchase, recommend)

Examples?

Cognitive Component (beliefs or knowledges about the object)

Examples?

Attitude Components and Manifestations

Interdependent

Cognitive Attitude

Behavioral Attitude

Affective Attitude

Can marketers change consumers’ attitudes?

Attitude Change Strategies

Affective (feelings)

Affect toward the ad or web site (using humor, endorsements, or emotional appeal and repeating of ads)

Behavioral (responses to tendencies)

Coupon, free samples, price reduction

Cognitive (beliefs)

Change beliefs, add beliefs, shift importance

• Mitch likes Toyota automobiles because he thinks they have the highest reliability of all automobiles. His belief about Toyota's reliability represents which component of Mitch's attitude?

• In an attempt to alter consumers' cognitive component of their attitude toward Pepsi brand of cola, a freshness date was added on the cans. Pepsi wanted consumers to consider this attribute that was never a consideration before. Pepsi was using which strategy to alter the cognitive structure of a consumer's attitude?

For years, American automobiles did not have the level of quality that foreign, particularly Japanese, automobiles had. However, that has changed, and most automobiles built in the United States have comparable or superior quality than imports. Consumers' attitudes are slow to change, however, and marketers must use which strategy to change the cognitive component of consumers' attitudes?

A. Change beliefs B. Add beliefs C. Shift beliefs D. Change ideal

Attitude Change Theories

• Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

• Cognitive Dissonance Theory

• Dual-process theory

• Persuasive communication (communication characteristics)

• ……………

ELM

Model

ELM Model

Who follows Central Route? Examples?

A guitarist is exposed to Gibson guitar’s ads

Who follow Peripheral Route? Examples?

Corona beer ads exposed to one who do not drink beer

 To Low Involvement Consumers?

 Peripheral Cues (e.g., endorsers, humor)

 To High Involvement Consumer?

 Central Cues (message strength)

How to persuade?

Communication Characteristics that Influence Attitude Formation and Change

1. Source Characteristics

 Represents “who” delivers the message

2. Appeal Characteristics

 Represents “how” the message is communicated

3. Message Structure Characteristics

 Represents “how” the message is presented

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Source Characteristics

1. Source Credibility

2. Sponsorship

3. Celebrity Sources

Companies spend millions of dollars each year for celebrities to appear in their

marketing communications. Discuss the reasons why celebrity endorsers are

effective.

 Attention

 Attitude toward the ad

 Trustworthiness

 Expertise

 Aspirational aspects

 Meaning transfer

Matching Endorser with Product and Target Audience

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Communication Characteristics that Influence Attitude Formation & Change

Appeal Characteristics

1. Fear Appeals

2. Humorous Appeals

3. Comparative Ads

4. Value-Expressive versus Utilitarian Appeals

5. Emotional Appeals

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Message Structure Characteristics

1. One-Sided versus Two-Sided Messages

2. Positive versus Negative Framing

3. Nonverbal Components

Appeal Characteristics

• Fear appeals use threat of negative consequences if attitudes or behaviors are not altered. • Humorous appeals can also be effective in influencing attitudes. However, the humorous message must remain focused on the brand or main selling point to be maximally effective. • Comparative ads produce mixed results. They are most effective for unknown brands having a strong functional advantage. Comparative ads are often more effective than noncomparative ads in generating attention, message and brand awareness, greater message processing, favorable sponsor brand attitudes, and increased purchase intentions and behaviors. However, they can also have negative consequences for the sponsor brand such as lower believability, lower attitude toward the ad and sponsor brand, and more positive attitude toward the competitor brand(s). • Emotional appeals have been found to have a strong effect on attitudes toward both the ad and the product. • The decision to use a value-expressive or utilitarian appeal depends on whether the brand fills value-expressive or utilitarian needs. However, this is complicated when the brand fills both types of needs.

Emotional ads

Emotional ads are designed to elicit a positive affective response rather than to provide information or arguments. Emotional appeals are often effective. These types of ads may enhance attitude formation or change by: increasing the ad’s ability to attract and maintain attention. increasing liking of the ad. increasing product liking through classical conditioning. increasing product liking through high involvement processes.

Applications in Consumer Behavior

This ad is a great example of

the use of fear appeal.

In this case, it is used to spell

out the risks of parents failing

to monitor the text messaging

by their children.

Courtesy National Drug Control Policy. 11-25

Communication Characteristics that Influence

Attitude Formation and Change

Appeal Characteristics

Value-expressive versus Utilitarian appeals

Utilitarian appeals involve

informing the consumer of

one or more functional

benefits that are important

to the target market.

Most effective for functional

products

Value-expressive appeals

attempt to build a personality

for the product or create an

image of the product user.

Most effective for products

designed to enhance self-

image or provide other

intangible benefits

* *

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1. One-Sided versus Two-Sided Messages

2. Positive versus Negative Framing

3. Nonverbal Components

Three aspects of the structure of the message affect its effectiveness. Two-sided (versus one-sided) messages can increase trust and message acceptance, but effects depend on characteristics of the individual and situation. Message framing effects—presenting equivalent value outcomes either in positive (positive framing) or negative (negative framing) terms—depend on type of frame. Positive attribute framing tends to work best where as negative goal framing tends to work best. Nonverbal aspects of the ad, such as pictures, surrealism, and music, also affect attitudes.

Communication Characteristics that Influence

Attitude Formation and Change

Message Structure Characteristics

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Communication Characteristics that Influence

Attitude Formation and Change

Message Structure Characteristics

Positive versus Negative Framing

Attribute Framing

Only a single attribute is the focus of

the frame.

For example, describing beef as either

• 80% fat free (positive

frame)

or

• 20% fat (negative frame)

Goal Framing

Message stresses either the positive

aspect of performing an act or the

negative aspects of not performing the

act.

For example, having a yearly

mammogram

• Benefits of having mammogram

emphasized (positive frame)

• Risks of not having mammogram

emphasized (negative)

Communication Characteristics that Influence

Attitude Formation and Change

Message Structure Characteristics

Nonverbal Components

Nonverbal components can influence attitudes through affect, cognition, or

both.

Emotional ads often rely primarily or exclusively on nonverbal content to

drive emotional responses. These can include:

• pictures

• music

• surrealism

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