Chapter 7 Consumer Attitude Formation and Change Consumer Behaviour Canadian Edition Schiffman/Kanuk/Das Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Opening Vignette  The impact of SARS on tourism - real risk was low, but perceived risk was high - led to negative attitude towards Canada, especially Toronto  Attitude change through - value-expressive appeals - use of celebrities Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-2 Attitudes  A learned predisposition to behave in a consistently favorable or unfavorable manner with respect to a given object  A positive attitude is generally a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for purchase – Mercedes seen as ‘top of class’ but intention to purchase was low Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-3 Characteristics of Attitudes Attitudes have an “object”  Attitudes are learned  – Can ‘unlearn’  Attitudes have behavioural, evaluative and affective components – Predisposition to act – Overall evaluation – Positive or negative feelings » continued Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-4 Characteristics of Attitudes  Attitudes have consistency  Attitudes have direction, degree, strength and centrality – – – –  Positive or negative Extent of positive or negative feelings Strength of feelings Closeness to core cultural values Attitudes occur within a situation Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-5 Four Basic Functions of Attitudes  The Utilitarian Function – How well it performs  The Ego-defensive Function – To protect one’s self-concept  The Value-expressive Function – To convey one’s values and lifestyles  The Knowledge Function – A way to gain knowledge Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-6 How are attitudes learned?  Classical conditioning - through past associations  Operant conditioning - through trial and reinforcement  Cognitive learning – through information processing – Cognitive dissonance theory – Attribution theory Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-7 Attitude Models  Structural Models of Attitudes – Tri-component Attitude Model – Multi-attribute Attitude Model – Both assume a rational model of human behaviour  Other models of attitude formation – Cognitive dissonance model – Attribution theory Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-8 The Tri-component Model  Cognitive Component – knowledge and perceptions acquired – through direct experience and information from various sources.  Affective component – Emotions and feelings about the object  Conative or Behavioural Component – Action tendencies toward the object Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-9 Conation Cognition Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Affect 7-10 Multi-attribute Attitude Models  Attitude models that examine the composition of consumer attitudes in terms of selected product attributes or beliefs.  Examples – Attitude-toward-object Model – Attitude-toward-behaviour Model – Theory-of-Reasoned-Action Model Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-11 Attitude-toward-object model  Attitude is function of evaluation of product-specific beliefs and evaluations n – Ao= WiXib i=1 – Where: Ao= Attitude towards the object O Wi = importance of attribute i Xib = belief that brand b has a certain level of attribute I continued Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-12 Theory of Reasoned Action – A comprehensive theory of the interrelationship among attitudes, intentions, and behaviour Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-13 Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-14 Attitude-Toward-Behaviour Model  A consumer’s attitude toward a specific behaviour is a function of how strongly he or she believes that the action will lead to a specific outcome (either favorable or unfavorable). Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-15 Cognitive Dissonance Theory  Holds that discomfort or dissonance occurs when a consumer holds conflicting thoughts about a belief or an attitude object.  Post-purchase Dissonance – Cognitive dissonance that occurs after a consumer has made a purchase commitment Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-16 Why Might Behaviour Precede Attitude Formation?  Cognitive Dissonance Theory  Attribution Theory Behave (Purchase) Form Attitude Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Form Attitude 7-17 Attribution Theory  Examines how people assign casualty to events and form or alter their attitudes as an outcome of assessing their own or other people’s behaviour.  Examples – Self-perception Theory – Attribution toward others Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-18 Self-Perception Theory  Attitudes developed by reflecting on their own behaviour  Judgments about own behaviour  Internal and external attributions » Continued Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-19 Self-Perception Theory  Consumers are likely to accept credit for successful outcomes (internal attribution) and to blame other persons or products for failure (external attribution).  Foot-In-The-Door Technique Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-20 How We Test Our Attributions  Distinctiveness  Consistency over time  Consistency over modality  Consensus Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-21 Attitudes and Marketing Strategy  Appeal to motivational functions of attitudes  Associate product with a special group, cause or event  Resolve conflicts among attitudes  Influence consumer attributions » Continued Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-22 Attitudes and Marketing Strategy  Alter components of the attitude – – – –  Change relative evaluation of attributes Change brand beliefs Add an attribute Change overall brand evaluation Change beliefs about competitors’ brands » Continued Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-23 Attitudes and Marketing Strategy  Change affect first through classical conditioning  Change behaviour first through operant conditioning Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7-24