CHAPTER

EIGHT
Consumer Attitude
Formation and Change
 Overview

First: Definition of Attitude

Second: Models of Attitudes

Third: Attitude Change

Chapter Eight Slide 2

First: Definition of Attitude

Introduction
•We have attitudes toward many things
(objects): e.g. people, products, brands,
advertisements, ideas, places, activities.

•The attitudes have been learned and

guide our behavior toward the attitude
object.

Chapter Eight Slide 3

What Is Your Attitude Toward the Product Advertised? What Is Your Attitude
Toward the Ad Itself? Are the Two Attitudes Similar or Different?

You May Have Liked the

Product but Disliked the
Ad or Vice Versa

Chapter Eight Slide 4

We have attitudes toward many things –
to people, products, advertisements,
ideas, and more

A learned
predisposition to
behave in a
consistently
Attitude
favorable or
unfavorable manner
with respect to a
given object.
For the most part, these attitudes
have been learned and guide our
behavior toward the object.
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Eight Slide 5
 Concepts of attiudes

• The attitude is toward an object which may be a

store, product category , brand or anything else.
• Attitudes are a learned predisposition, either
through direct experience or from others. This
predisposition may lead to a favorable or
unfavorable behavior toward the object.
• Attitudes have consistency, but are not necessarily
permanent and can change over time.
• Attitudes occur within a situation.
Chapter Eight Slide 6
 What Information Does This Ad Provide to Assist
Consumers in Forming Attitudes Toward
the Saturn Vue Hybrid?

It is Stylish, Safe,
and
Good for the
Environment

Chapter Eight Slide 7

 Attitudes are Learned
• We are not born with attitudes
• Attitudes relative to purchase behavior are
formed as a result of
1. direct experience with the product
2. word-of-mouth
3. exposure to mass media advertising, the internet,
and direct marketing
• Attitudes are not synonymous with behavior
• Attitudes may result from behavior
 What Are Attitudes?

• The attitude “object”

– the object which we are discussing or measuring the attitude toward.
Is it a product category, a specific brand, or a particular model?

• Attitudes are a learned predisposition

– either through direct experience or from others.

• Attitudes have consistency

– they are not necessarily permanent and can change over time.

• Attitudes occur within a situation

– think about the times you have to eat foods that are not necessarily
your favorite but they are what is available or what you are being
served at a friend’s house.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Eight Slide 9
Attitude “Object”
 Second: Models of Attitudes

1-Tricomponent Attitude Model

2- Multiattribute Attitude Model

3- Attitude-Toward-the-Ad Model

These are models that attempt to

understand the relationships between
attitude and behavior.
Chapter Eight Slide 13
 1- Tricomponent Model
The three components of
attitude are consistent. This
means that a change in one
attitude component tends to
produce related changes in the
other components.

Marketing managers find it

difficult to influence the
consumer’s behavior (conation)
directly to buy the product,
instead, they influence the
Cognition
behavior indirectly by providing
information, music or other
stimuli that influence a belief
(cognition) or feeling (affect)
about the product.

Chapter Eight Slide 14

 Importance of Attitudes
• They help consumers make choices relating to:
– very product-specific behaviors, and
– more general consumption-related behaviors
• More specifically, attitudes …
1)guide consumer thoughts  cognitive function
2)influence consumer feelings  affective function
3)impact consumer behaviors  behavioral function
• Also this perform other higher level functions for
consumers identified in the functional theory of
attitudes
8-15
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
 The Tricomponent Model

The knowledge and

Components perceptions that are
acquired by a
• Cognitive combination of direct
• Affective experience with the
object and related
• Conative information from
various sources (what
we learn from others)
This can be formed through direct experience or
what you learn from others. The knowledge you
form becomes a belief.
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Eight Slide 16
 1- Tricomponent Model

Components A consumer’s
emotions or feelings
• Cognitive about a particular
• Affective product or brand or
any other object.
• Conative
These feelings often tend
to be good or bad
feelings.

Chapter Eight Slide 17

Affective component

18
 1- Tricomponent Model

Components The likelihood or tendency

that an individual will
• Cognitive undertake a specific action
or behave in a particular
• Affective way with regard to the
• Conative attitude object

Example: tendency to buy a

certain brand or from a specific
store.

Chapter Eight Slide 19

Conative Component

20
 Implications for Marketing Strategy

• When marketers use the traditional model to

create or change attitudes, they use the
various components as follows:
1. At the cognitive level with information
2. At the affective level with emotionally toned
messages
3. At the behavioral level with incentives (samples,
coupons, rebates)
 The ABC Model of Attitudes

Affect
Affect
Way
Way aa Consumer
Consumer
Feels
Feels

Behavior
Behavior
Person’s
Components
Components ofof an
an
Person’sIntentions
Intentions
to Do
to Do Attitude
Attitude

Cognition
Cognition
Consumer’s
Consumer’s
Beliefs
Beliefs
 Attitude models that
examine the
Multiattribute composition of
Attitude consumer attitudes
Models in terms of selected
product attributes or
beliefs.
Just as the name implies, these are models that breakdown
overall attitude into the attributes or beliefs which form an
overall opinion.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Eight Slide 23
 Multiattribute Attitude Models
• Attitude is function of the
presence of certain beliefs
Types or attributes with respect to
an object.
• The attitude-toward- • Consumers will like a brand
object model or product that has an
• The attitude-toward- adequate level of attributes
behavior model that the consumer thinks
are important.
• Theory-of-reasoned- • For example, if you are buying a
home, there is a list of attributes
action model that the home must have – 2
bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, air
conditioning, and a back yard.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Eight Slide 24
 Multiattribute Attitude Models
• Is the attitude toward
Types behaving or acting with
respect to an object,
• The attitude-toward-
rather than the attitude
object model
toward the object itself
• The attitude-toward-
• Corresponds closely to
behavior model
actual behavior
• Theory-of-reasoned-
action model The question is now how likely are you
to purchase brand X rather than how
highly do you rate brand X.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Eight Slide 25
 Consumer Characteristics, Attitude,
and Online Shopping
Their attitude was broken down
further by how they view nine

will rate an online shopping experience.

The attitude leads to how a consumer
benefits of online shopping,
Consumer characteristics that tend to

including effectiveness,
impact a person’s attitude toward

convenience, information,
safety, service, delivery speed,
web design, selection, and
familiarity with company name.
purchasing online.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Eight Slide 26
 2- Multiattribute Attitude Models

• The attitude-toward- • Includes cognitive,

object model affective, and conative
• The attitude-toward- components (attitude)
behavior model • In addition to attitude, the
• Theory-of-reasoned- model also Includes
action model subjective norms (social
pressure) on how a
consumer is influenced by
others.

Chapter Eight Slide 27

A Simplified Version of the Theory of
Reasoned Action - Figure 8.5

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Eight Slide 28
 Applying the Theory of Reasoned Action to
Change Intentions

• It helps to identify those attributes most important

in causing consumers to form positive (or negative)
attitudes toward the purchase of a product
– Changing attitude toward purchase

• It helps to identify and helps to adjust sources of

social pressure and their possible role in intention
formation
– Changing subjective norms

Chapter Eight Slide 29

 3- Attitude toward-the-ad model

A model that proposes that

a consumer forms various
feelings (affects) and
Attitude- judgments (cognitions) as
Toward-the- a result of exposure to an
Ad Model advertisement, which, in
turn, affect the consumer’s
attitude toward the ad and
attitude toward the brand.

Chapter Eight Slide 30

 A Conception of the Relationship Among
Elements in an Attitude-Toward-the-Ad Model -
Figure 8.6

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Eight Slide 31
 Third: Attitude Change

Attitude change and formation are

not all that different. They are both
learned, they are both influenced by
many factors such as: personal
experience, personality effects,
family influence, and marketing
communications.

Chapter Eight Slide 32

 Attitude Formation and Change
• An Attitude can form in several different ways
depending on the Hierarchy of Effects and how the
attitude is learned.
1. The Standard Learning Hierarchy
 Think > Feel > Do. I.e. Know about some product, form a feeling
about the product and then may or may not buy that.

2. The Low Involvement Hierarchy

 Do > Feel > Think. I.e. Buy a product, form a feeling about the
product after using you get to know about it.

3. The Experiential Hierarchy

 Feel > Do > Think. I.e. Develop feeling through communication tool,
purchase it after using you get to know about it.
 Strategies of Attitude Change

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Eight Slide 34
 1- Changing the Basic Motivational
Functions
An effective way to change consumer attitudes
toward a product or brand is to change his four
motivational functions:

Chapter Eight Slide 35

 1- Changing the Basic Motivational
Functions
• Utilitarian function is how the product is useful to us. A marketer
might want to create a more consumer positive attitude toward a brand
by showing utilities the brand can do.
• ego-defensive function would show how the product would make them
feel more secure and confident (e.g. cosmetics that defense women’s
appearance).
• value-expressive function would more positively reflect the
consumer’s values or lifestyle.
• knowledge function would satisfy the consumer’s “need to know” and
help them understand more.

It is important for marketers to realize that they might have to combine functions
because different customers are motivated to purchase their products for
different reasons. Someone might buy a product because it tastes good and
fills them up (utilitarian), while another thinks it is low fat and will make them
healthy and therefore look better (ego-defensive).

Chapter Eight Slide 36

Why and How Does This Ad Appeal to the
Utilitarian Function?

The Product is Green and

Works as Well or Better than
Other Products.

Chapter Eight Slide 37

Which Lifestyle- Related Attitudes (value expressive)
Are Expressed or Reflected in This Ad?

Healthy Eating and

Snacking Lifestyle

Chapter Eight Slide 38

 How Does This Ad Provide Information to Establish
or Reinforce Consumer Attitudes?

It Raises the Question About UVA

Rays and then Provides Information
(knowledge) n Sun Protection.

Chapter Eight Slide 39

 2- Associating the Product with an
Admired Group or Event

• Attitudes are related, at least in part, to

certain groups, social events, or causes.
• It is possible to alter (change) attitudes
toward companies and their products by
pointing out their relationships to these
groups, events, or causes.

• Example: advertisement around the

playground in football matches or events
sponsorships. Chapter Eight Slide 40
 2- Associating the Product with an Admired
Group or Event

The Fiji water’s link to

Environmental Cause Likely to Impact Consumers’
Attitudes Toward Its Product. Accordingly, they
Might Have a More Favorable Attitude toward the
company and its product.

Chapter Eight Slide 41

3- Altering Components of the Multiattribute
Model

– Changing consumer’s evaluation of attributes. Example: Perhaps

the consumer thinks that the product fine to be inexpensive, but
a marketer might be able to point out that it is often worth
paying a bit more for better quality.
– Changing brand beliefs. Example: Maybe a consumer thinks a
brand is very expensive when in fact it is less expensive than
several other brands.
– Adding an attribute. Example: Who thought chewiness was an
attribute that could even exist for a vitamin until Gummy Vites
came along?
– Changing the overall brand rating, not a single attribute of it.
Example: using statements like: “ the one all others try to
imitate” or “ the largest selling brand”.

Chapter Eight Slide 42

 How Is This New Benefit Likely to Impact
Consumers’ Attitudes Toward the Product?

The ad states that there is a link between

one’s mouth health and the health of one’s
whole body, changing the overall brand
rating in the minds of target consumers

Chapter Eight Slide 43

 How Is the Absence of an Ingredient Likely to
Lead to a Favorable Attitude Toward a Product?

Adding an attribute
(chewiness) to vitamins

Chapter Eight Slide 44

 4- Changing beliefs about the attributes of
competitors’ brands

How Is Valvoline’s Attempt to Change

Attitudes Toward a Competing Brand Likely
to Impact Attitudes Toward Its Own Brand?

By Showing Better
Wear Protection

Chapter Eight Slide 45