Consumer Attitude

Formation and Change

 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.
 A learned
predisposition to
behave in a
consistently
Attitude
favorable or
unfavorable manner
with respect to a
given object.
 What Are Attitudes?

• The attitude “object”

• Attitudes are a learned predisposition
• Attitudes have consistency
• Attitudes occur within a situation
 Structural Models of Attitudes
• Tricomponent Attitude Model
• Multiattribute Attitude Model
• The Trying-to-Consume Model
• Attitude-Toward-the-Ad Model
A Simple Representation of the Tricomponent
Attitude Model

Cognition
 The Tricomponent Model

Components The knowledge and

perceptions that are
• Cognitive acquired by a
• Affective combination of direct
experience with the
• Conative attitude object and
related information
from various sources
 The Tricomponent Model

Components A consumer’s
• Cognitive emotions or feelings
about a particular
• Affective product or brand
• Conative
 The Tricomponent Model

Components
The likelihood or
• Cognitive tendency that an
• Affective individual will
undertake a specific
• Conative
action or behave in a
particular way with
regard to the attitude
object
 Attitude models that
examine the
Multiattribute composition of
Attitude consumer attitudes
Models in terms of selected
product attributes or
beliefs.
 Multiattribute Attitude Models

Types
• The attitude- • Attitude is function
toward-object of the presence of
model certain beliefs or
• The attitude- attributes.
toward-behavior • Useful to measure
model attitudes toward
• Theory-of- product and service
reasoned-action categories or specific
 Multiattribute Attitude Models

Types
• The attitude- • Is the attitude
toward-object toward behaving or
model acting with respect
• The attitude- to an object, rather
toward-behavior than the attitude
model toward the object
• Theory-of- itself
reasoned-action • Corresponds closely
Consumer Characteristics, Attitude,
and Online Shopping
 Multiattribute Attitude Models

Types
• The attitude- • Includes cognitive,
toward-object affective, and
model conative
• The attitude- components
toward-behavior • Includes subjective
model norms in addition to
• Theory-of- attitude
reasoned-action
A Simplified Version of the Theory of
Reasoned Action
 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 consumer’s
attempt to consume
(or purchase).
Selected Examples of Potential Impediments
That Might Impact Trying
POTENTIAL PERSONAL IMPEDIMENTS
• “I wonder whether my hair will be longer by the time of my wedding.”
• “I want to try to lose two inches off my waist by my birthday.”
• “I’m going to try to get tickets for the Rolling Stones concert for our anniversary.”
• “I’m going to attempt to give up smoking by my birthday.”
• “I am going to increase how often I run two miles from three to five times a week.”
• “Tonight, I’m not going to have dessert at the restaurant.”

POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPEDIMENTS

• “The first 1,000 people at the baseball game will receive a team
cap.”
• “Sorry, the car you ordered didn’t come in from Japan on the ship
that docked yesterday.”
• “I am sorry. We cannot serve you. We are closing the restaurant
because of an electrical problem.”
 A model that proposes
that a consumer forms
various feelings (affects)
and judgments
Attitude- (cognitions) as the result
of exposure to an
Toward-the-
advertisement, which, in
Ad Model turn, affect the
consumer’s attitude
toward the ad and
attitude toward the
brand.
 A Conception of the Relationship Among
Elements in an Attitude-Toward-the-Ad Model
 Issues in Attitude Formation
• How attitudes are learned
– Conditioning and experience
– Knowledge and beliefs
 Issues in Attitude Formation
• Sources of influence on attitude formation
– Personal experience
– Influence of family
– Direct marketing and mass media
• Personality factors
 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 Multiattribute Model

Changing Beliefs about Competitors’ Brands

Changing the Basic Motivational Function

Ego-
Utilitarian
defensive

Value-
Knowledge
expressive
 Attitude Change
• Altering Components of the Multiattribute
Model
– Changing relative evaluation of attributes
– Changing brand beliefs
– Adding an attribute
– Changing the overall brand rating
• Changing Beliefs about Competitors’ Brands
https://blog.gwi.com/marketing/powerful-
consumer-insights/
 Customer attitudes are
Elaboration changed by two
Likelihood distinctly different
Model routes to persuasion:
(ELM) a central route or a
peripheral route.
Elaboration Likelihood Model
 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 people’s
behavior.
 Issues in Attribution Theory
• Self-Perception Theory
– Foot-in-the-Door Technique
• Attributions toward Others
• Attributions toward Things
• How We Test Our Attributions
– Distinctiveness
– Consistency over time
– Consistency over modality
– Consensus