Week 4 Lecture - Consumer Attitudes

Sunday, 13 September 2020 3:20 PM

Learning outcomes:
• What is an attitude, and the characteristics of attitudes
• The Central Route to Persuasion
• Cognitively based attitudes under high effort
• Affectively based attitudes under high effort
• The attitude-behaviour link

This week we will examine what an attitude is and how consumers form attitudes based on
in dedicating time and effort to processing marketing information(high MAO).

What is an attitude?
• Attitude = the overall evaluation that expresses how much we like/dislike something.
person, or action. Eg. You are likely to have an attitude to issues such as climate chang
• Attitudes are learnt over time and they guide our consumer behaviour.

Characteristics of attitudes:
Attitudes will vary in:
1. Favourability (how much we like or dislike an attitude object)
2. Accessibility (how easily/readily they can be retrieved)
3. Confidence (how certain we feel)
4. Persistence (how long they last)
5. Resistance (how difficult is it to change)
6. May be ambivalent (mixed response to an attitude object)

7.
their 1) cognitions, and 2) their emotions when they are highly invested

We have attitudes towards almost everything! Including objects, issues,

ge, animal testing, and gun control.
 7.

Why are attitudes important?

• Attitudes are so important because consumers attitudes towards products, services, b
• Marketers want consumers to form strong, favourable attitudes towards their offering
and change. If consumers attitudes are negative, marketers will try to change their att

Central Route to Persuasion

• When a marketing communication is shown to consumers(eg. An ad brand informatio
effortfully because they are motivated and have the ability and opportunity to do so(h
process the message carefully(low MAO consumers).
• High MAO consumers are more likely to devote a lot of time and effort into processing
more effortful process as "central-route" processing.
• Processing is central because consumers' attitudes are based on careful and effortful a
• As a result of all this hard work, high MAO consumers often form strong, accessible, a
brands and people influence how they ultimately behave.
g that are resistant to change. But sometimes consumer attitudes do shift
titude to create a more positive evaluation.

on, message about an offering etc), consumers may process this message
high MAO) or they may not be motivated, able or have the opportunity to

g marketing information and messages. Researchers have labelled this

analysis of the central issues(true merits) contained within the message.

and confidently held attitudes that are resistant to change.
How are attitudes formed?
• Attitudes can be based on consumers cognitions, or what we commonly refer to as 'th
• Let's find out how attitudes are formed cognitively when e
• Consumers may form an attitude after being exposed to marketing stimuli or other inf
response, are "thoughts" - including recognitions, evaluations, associations, images or
• According to cognitive response models, consumers exert a lot of energy processing in
different ways. High effort consumers may form counterarguments, support argumen
○ Counter argument: A consumer may express disagreement with the message.
○ Support argument: A consumer may express agreement with the message.
○ Source derogation: A consumer may discount or attack the source of the messa

Marketing Implications:
So how can marketers influence cognitively based attitudes when effort is high?
1. By using a credible communication source. A credible source is trustworthy, has exper
Watch video
2. By having a credible message
a. Messages must be credible to ensure they generate support and reduce the like
b. A credible message makes a strong, quality argument.
3. Comparative advertising
a. Highlights how much better your brand is compared to the competitor.
b. Can be indirect, in which case the competitor is not explicitly named but is indir
c. Can also be direct, in which case the competitor is explicitly named. Direct comp
i. Tends to work better for Western cultures and when MAO is high

Let's find out how attitudes are formed affectively when effor
Our attitudes are not just based on our thoughts. Researchers now realise that consumers c
called an 'affective' basis. Our emotional reactions play a key role in whether our attitudes w
• When affective involvement is high, consumers may be more engaged with a stimulus
which in turn will influence their attitudes.
• When do feelings influence attitudes?
○ When emotions "fit with" or are personally relevant to the offering. Eg. If I am in
romantic getaway.
○ When consumers see others experiencing strong emotions while using an offeri
server "I'll have what he's having!"
○ When situational factors hamper the consumer's opportunity to form a cognitiv
houghts'.
effort is high.
formation, based on the nature of their cognitive responses. A cognitive
r ideas - that come to mind when a consumer is exposed to information.
nformation such as advertisement, and may respond to the message in
nts or derogate the source.

age.

rtise; and has status.

elihood of counterarguments.

rectly referenced
parative advertising can be effective but may not be credible

rt is high.
can exert a lot of energy processing a message on an emotional or what is
will be favourable or unfavourable.
s (and tend to process the stimulus on a general level, not analytically),

n love, then I will have a more positive evaluation of an ad promoting a

ing. Eg. If I see a consumer enjoying a restaurant meal, I might say to the

ve attitude. Eg. Distractions, time pressure.

 ○ When emotions "fit with" or are personally relevant to the offering. Eg. If I am in
romantic getaway.
○ When consumers see others experiencing strong emotions while using an offeri
server "I'll have what he's having!"
○ When situational factors hamper the consumer's opportunity to form a cognitiv

Marketing implications:
So how can marketers influence affectively based attitudes when effort is high?
1. By using an attractive and relevant communication source. This is known as the match
offering). If the source is physically attractive, likeable, familiar, or similar to self and a
making the ad informative, likeable, or affecting consumer beliefs that the offering mu
being considered, and therefore central to the message.
2. By using messages with emotional appeal and contagion. Positive emotions such as lo
interest and their attitudes become more positive toward an ad. Negative emotions su
anxiety by stressing the negative consequences of engaging or failing to engage in an o
'catch' other people's emotions! This is known as emotional contagion and occurs whe

The Attitude-Behaviour Link

• Marketers are not just interested in forming and changing attitudes. But they also care
• 2 models that try to predict whether consumer attitudes will influence their planned b
Planned Behaviour(TOPB).
n love, then I will have a more positive evaluation of an ad promoting a

ing. Eg. If I see a consumer enjoying a restaurant meal, I might say to the

ve attitude. Eg. Distractions, time pressure.

h-up hypotheses (the source should match or be in a good "fit" with the
appropriate for the category offering, then attitudes may be enhanced by
ust be good. The attractive source is directly relevant to the product

ove, desire, joy, hope, excitement are intended to attract consumer's

uch as fear, anger, shame, rejection, or disgust are intended to create
offering that will motivate the consumer to take action. People also
en people vicariously experience the depicted emotion they see.

e about how attitudes influence the consumer's actual behaviour.

behaviour are the Theory of Reasoned Action(TORA) and the Theory of
• However, what consumers intend to do not always reflect what they actually do.

Summary:
1. What an attitude is and the characteristics of attitudes
2. That when consumers are willing and able to devote considerable effort to proc
responding to the "central" or true merits of a message.
3. Attitudes are stronger and harder to attack when they have been formed under
4. How attitudes affect consumer behaviour.
cessing information, they will form attitudes by considering or emotionally

r high effort.