Session 7C: Attitude Formation and Change

Attitude Formation

The study of attitude is of very high importance to the marketers. How do people, form their initial general attitudes toward “things”? How do family members and friends, admired celebrities, mass media advertisements, even cultures, influence the formation of their attitudes concerning consuming or not consuming different products and services? Why do some attitudes seem to persist indefinitely, while others change fairly often? 

HOW ATTITUDES ARE LEARNED

The formation of an attitude is studied as the shift from having no attitude toward a given object to having some attitude toward it. Consumers often purchase new products that are associated with a favourably viewed brand name. Their favourable attitude toward the brand name is frequently the result of repeated satisfaction with other products produced by the same company.

SOURCES OF INFLUENCE ON ATTITUDE FORMATION

The formation of consumer attitudes is strongly influenced by personal experience, the influence of family and friends, direct marketing, mass media and the Internet. A primary means by which attitudes toward goods and services are formed is through the consumer’s direct experience in trying and evaluating them. As we come in contact with others, especially family, close friends, and admired individuals (e.g., a respected teacher), we form attitudes that influence our lives. The family is an extremely important source of influence on the formation of attitudes. Personality Factors, like high need for cognition (information) are likely to form positive attitudes in response to ads or direct mail that are rich in product-related information. Consumers who are relatively low in need for cognition are more likely to form positive attitudes to ads that feature attractive models or well-known celebrities. 

Strategies of Attitude Change

Attitude changes are learned; they are influenced by personal experience and other sources of information, and personality affects both the receptivity and the speed with which attitudes are likely to be altered. Altering attitudes is a key strategy for marketers, especially when taking aim at market leaders. Marketers have several attitude-change strategies from which to choose.

CHANGING THE BASIC MOTIVATIONAL FUNCTION

An effective strategy for changing consumer attitudes toward a product or brand is to make particular needs prominent. One method for doing this is called the functional approach and can be classified into four functions: the utilitarian function, the ego-defensive function, the value-expressive function, and the knowledge function.

The Utilitarian Function

We hold certain brand attitudes partly because of a brand’s utility. When a product has been useful or helped us in the past, our attitude toward it tends to be favourable. One way of changing attitudes in favour of a product is by showing people that it can serve a utilitarian purpose they may not have considered.

The Ego-Defensive Function

Most people want to protect their self-images from inner feelings of doubt – they want to replace their uncertainty with a sense of security and personal confidence. The ego-defensive function offers reassurance to the consumer’s self-concept.

 The Value-Expressive Function

Attitudes are an expression or reflection of the consumer’s general values, lifestyle, and outlook. By knowing target consumers’ attitudes, marketers can better anticipate their values, lifestyle, or outlook and can reflect these characteristics in their advertising and direct-marketing efforts.

The Knowledge Function

Individuals generally have a strong need to know and understand the people and things they encounter. The consumer’s “need to know,” a cognitive need, is important to marketers concerned with product positioning. Many product and brand positionings are attempts to satisfy the need to know and to improve the consumer’s attitudes toward the brand by emphasizing its advantages over competitive brands.

Combining Several Functions

Combining several functions involves using more than one of the above because different consumers may like a product for different reasons.

ASSOCIATING THE PRODUCT WITH A SPECIAL GROUP

It is possible to alter attitudes toward products by pointing out their relationships to particular social groups, events, or causes. Research findings seem to indicate that it is likely to be a good idea for a sponsor to reveal to target consumers the reasoning behind their sponsorship, so that consumers know the sponsor’s motives rather than form their own potentially inaccurate or negative motives.

RESOLVING TWO CONFLICTING ATTITUDES

Attitude-change strategies can sometimes resolve actual or potential conflict between two attitudes. If consumers can be made to see that their negative attitude toward a product, a specific brand, or its attributes is really not in conflict with another attitude, they may be induced to change their evaluation of the brand (i.e., moving from negative to positive).

ALTERING COMPONENTS OF THE MULTIATTRIBUTE MODEL

Multi-attribute models provide marketers with insights as to how to bring about attitude change.

Changing the Relative Evaluation of Attributes

The market for many product categories is structured so that different consumer segments are attracted to brands that offer different features or beliefs. In these market situations, marketers have an opportunity to persuade consumer’s to “crossover,” or to shift their favorable attitude toward another version of the product.

Changing Brand Beliefs

This is the most common form of advertising appeal. Advertisers constantly remind us that their product has “more,” or is “better,” or “best” in terms of some important product attribute.  Within the context of brand beliefs, there are forces working to stop or slow down attitude change. Therefore, information suggesting a change in attitude needs to be compelling and repeated enough to overcome the natural resistance to letting go of established attitudes.

Adding an Attribute

This cognitive strategy pivots on adding a previously ignored attribute, or adding an attribute that reflects an actual product or technological innovation. Adding an attribute reflects an actual product change or technological innovation is easier to accomplish than stressing a previously ignored attribute. Sometimes eliminating a characteristic or feature has the same enhancing outcome as adding a characteristic or attribute.

Changing the Overall Brand Rating

Another cognitive-oriented strategy is altering consumers’ overall assessment of the brand directly, without attempting to improve or change their evaluation of any single brand attribute. Such a strategy frequently relies on some form of global statement that “this is the largest-selling brand” or “the one all others try to imitate,” or a similar claim that sets the brand apart from all its competitors.

CHANGING BELIEFS ABOUT COMPETITOR’S BRANDS

This strategy involves changing consumer beliefs about attributes of competitive brands. One tool is comparative advertising. But comparative advertising can boomerang by giving visibility to competing brands.

Reference; Consumer Behaviour by Schiffman, Kaunk and Kumar and Consumer Behaviour by Soloman