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You learn to behave in a particular way to a particular object in a particular situation.

Attitude

A learned predisposition to behave in a consistently favorable or unfavorable manner

with respect to a given object.

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What are Attitudes?

• The attitude “object”• Attitudes are a learned predisposition• Attitudes have consistency• Attitudes occur within a situation

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The Attitude “Object”

• Object refers to such things as: product, product category, brand, service, possessions, product use, advertisement price, or retailer.

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This attempts to change the

attitude toward calcium in a soft drink situation.

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Attitudes Are a Learned Predisposition

• Attitudes are learned. – They are formed as a result of direct

experience with the product, information acquired from others, and exposure to mass media.

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Attitudes Have Consistency

• Attitudes are relatively consistent with the behavior they reflect.

– Attitudes are not necessarily permanent; they do change.

– Always consider situational influences on consumer attitudes and behavior.

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Attitudes Occur Within a Situation

• Consumer attitudes occur within, and are affected by, the situation - events

or circumstances that, at a particular time, influence the relationship

between an attitude and a behavior.

• Individuals can have a variety of attitudes toward a particular behavior,

each tied to a specific situation.

– This can cause consumers to behave in ways seemingly inconsistent

with their attitudes. (The Dhoni Effect)

• It is important when measuring attitudes that we consider the situation in

which the behavior takes place, or the relationship between attitudes and

behavior could be misinterpreted.

• you may feel OK about having fast food for lunch, but want something

"better" for dinner.

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STRUCTURAL MODELS OF ATTITUDES

• Psychologists have developed a number of models in order to understand consumer attitudes.

– Tricomponent Attitude Model– Multiattribute Attitude Models– The Trying-to-Consume Model– Attitude-toward-the-ad Model

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Tricomponent Attitude Model

• According to the tricomponent attitude model, attitudes consist of three major components: cognition, affect, and conation.

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A Simple Representation of the Tricomponent Attitude Model

ConationConation

AffectAffect

Cognition

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The Cognitive Component

• Cognitions are previous knowledge or experiences with or about the object.– This previous knowledge/experience allows the

consumer to form perceptions or beliefs about the product.

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The Affective Component

• The affective component of an attitude consists of the

consumer’s emotions or feelings.

• Affect-laden experiences manifest themselves as

emotionally charged states (such as happiness or

sadness).

– These states may enhance positive or negative

experiences for the consumer.

– The Hesh-Lee effect

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The Conative Component

• Conation is the likelihood or tendency that an individual will undertake a

specific action or behave in a particular way with regard to the attitude

object.

– The conative component may include the actual behavior itself.

• In marketing and consumer research, the conative component is

frequently treated as an expression of the consumer’s intention to buy.

– Intention-to-buy scales are used to assess the likelihood of a

consumer purchasing a product or behaving in a certain way.

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The Tricomponent Model

• Cognitive Component

– The knowledge and perceptions that are acquired by a combination

of direct experience with the attitude object and related

information from various sources.

• Affective Component

– A consumer’s emotions or feelings about a particular product or

brand.

• Conative Component

– The likelihood or tendency that an individual will undertake a

specific action or behave in a particular way with regard to the

attitude object

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Multi-Attribute Attitude Models

• Multi-attribute attitude models examine attitudes in terms of selected product attributes or beliefs.

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The Attitude-Toward-Object Model

• Consumer’s attitude toward a product is a function of the presence (or absence) of certain product-specific beliefs and/or attributes.

• What consumers will purchase is a function of how much they know, what they feel are the important features for them, and their awareness as to whether particular brands possess (or lack) these valued attributes.

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Positive attitudes toward brands

help with brand extensions

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The Attitude-Toward-Behavior Model

• Individual’s attitude toward behaving or acting with respect

to an object, rather than the attitude toward the object itself.

• The appeal of this model is that it seems to correspond

somewhat more closely to actual behavior than does the

attitude-toward-object model.

• you may like BMWs but you are not ready to buy/drive one because you believe that you are too young/old to do so

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Theory-of-Reasoned-Action Model

• A comprehensive integration of attitude components into a structure

that is designed to lead to both better explanation and better

predictions of behavior.

• Like the basic tricomponent attitude model, the theory-of-reasoned-

action model incorporates a cognitive component, an affective

component, and a conative component; however, these are arranged

in a pattern different from that of the tricomponent model.

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Reasoned action

• To understand intention we also need to measure the subjective norms that influence an individual’s intention to act. – A subjective norm can be measured directly by

assessing a consumer’s feelings as to what relevant others (family, friends, roommates, co-workers) would think of the action being contemplated.

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A Simplified Version of the Theory of Reasoned Action

Beliefs that the behavior

leads to certain

outcomes

Beliefs that specific

referents think I should or should not perform the

behavior

Motivation to comply with the specific referents

Subjective norm

Attitude toward the behavior

Intention

Behavior

Evaluation of the outcomes

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Theory of Trying-to-Consume

• Accounts for cases where the action or outcome is not certain but

reflects the consumer’s efforts to consume.

– Sometimes personal impediments or environmental

impediments prevent the desired outcome.

• Researchers have recently extended this inquiry by examining

those situations where consumers do not try to consume—that is,

fail to try to consume.

– In this case, consumers appear to fail to see or are too ignorant

of their options.

• Consumers appear to make a conscious effort not to consume.

– the focus is the "trying" or seeking part, rather than the

outcome (consumption)

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Ad illustrating the theory of trying to

consume

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Attitude-Toward-the-Ad Models

• Consumer forms various feelings (affects) and judgments (cognitions) as the

result of exposure to an ad.

• These feelings and judgments in turn affect the consumer’s attitude toward

the ad and beliefs about the brand acquired from exposure to the ad.

• Finally, the consumer’s attitude toward the ad and beliefs about the brand

influence his or her attitude toward the brand.

• It appears that for a novel product (e.g., “contact lenses for pets”), the

consumer’s attitude toward the ad has a stronger impact on brand attitude

and purchase intention than for a familiar product (e.g., pet food).

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A Conception of the Relationship among Elements in an Attitude-Toward-the-Ad Model

Exposure to an Ad

Judgments about the Ad (Cognition)

Beliefs about the Brand

Attitude toward the Brand

Attitude toward the Ad

Feelings from the Ad (Affect)

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Multiattribute Attitude Models

• The attitude-toward-object model– Attitude is function of evaluation of product-

specific beliefs and evaluations• The attitude-toward-behavior model

– Is the attitude toward behaving or acting with respect to an object, rather than the attitude toward the object itself

• Theory-of-reasoned-action model– A comprehensive, integrative model of attitudes

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Try this…

• A local pizza restaurant is having a hard time attracting customers due to a poor image. Explain how they can change people’s attitudes by using three of the following:

– 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