consumer behaviour
Chapter 9
Attitudes
Chapter Overview
Attitudes help consumers give meaning to and process information about a product, service or idea.
Attitudes can vary depending on the type of situation, social influences and the level of involvement. Attitudes reflect a person’s values, and their behaviour is usually quite consistent with their attitude.
Consumers learn attitudes by building up information over time in their memory.
There are two attitude theories presented in this chapter: the tri-component model and Fishbein’s multi-attribute model .The tri-component model considers three key elements of an attitude—affect (feelings), cognition (beliefs and knowledge structures) and behaviour. The multi-attribute model assumes that attitudes often have many attributes.
It is difficult to change attitudes, but if marketers can understand how to influence attitudes, they can influence behaviour. Attitudes can be changed by influencing one of the three main elements: affect, cognition or behaviour. When one of these elements changes, it is likely the other elements will change too.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, students should be able to:
· Describe the nature and characteristics of attitudes and their influence over consumer behaviour
· Discuss the ways consumer attitudes are formed
· Outline the application of various attitude theories to consumer behaviour
· Discuss the functions of attitudes
· Describe how consumer attitudes are measured
· Discuss the processes used to change consumer attitudes.
CHAPTER TOPICS
- The nature of attitudes
· Attitudes vary in their strength
· Attitudes reflect a consumer’s values
· Attitudes are learned
· Different situations influence attitudes
- Consumer attitude trends
- How are attitudes formed?
· Conditioning
· Modelling
· Cognitive learning
- Attitude models
· The tri-component model of attitudes
· Fishbein’s multi-attribute model of attitudes
- Functions of attitudes
· Adjustment function
· Ego defensive function
· Value expressive function
· Knowledge function
- Attitude measurement
· Likert scales
· Semantic differential scales
· Measuring purchase intention
- Attitude change
· Attitude change via affect (influencing feelings)
· Attitude change via cognitions (influencing beliefs)
· Changing attitudes by encouraging a change in behaviour
· Changing attitudes by changing what is ‘normal’
- Influences on attitude formation and change
· Source credibility
· Message characteristics
· Media characteristics
· Receiver characteristics
· Case in point 9.1—Teenagers’ attitudes towards bicycle helmets
· Case in point 9.2—Changing attitudes about smoking
LECTURE OUTLINE
Encourage discussion to introduce subject:
Ask students how they feel about no smoking in public places like bars? What do they think of the different political parties’ policies on terrorism? What have their ‘water saving’ actions been like with water restrictions in place? The answers to these questions reflect a person’s attitudes.
An attitude is a belief, feeling or action taken towards something. Marketers are most interested in consumer attitudes towards particular products, services and brands, environmental trends (thus creating opportunities and threats) and specific ideas.
By measuring consumer attitudes, marketers can determine a consumer’s likely behaviour. Attitudes are predictors of future behaviour—although a positive attitude toward a brand will not necessarily result in a future purchase.
1. The nature of attitudes
An attitude is defined as ‘a learned predisposition to respond in a consistently favourable or unfavourable manner with respect to a given object’.
Attitudes help consumers make decisions in the marketplace. This is the third stage of the consumer decision process.
However, attitudes cannot be formed before the consumer understands the features and benefits of products. Once the benefits are understood, the consumer can then evaluate the brand (and form a favourable or unfavourable attitude toward it).
Attitude theories revolve around the idea that attitudes are formed when new information ‘forms interconnections with other attitudes to create organised patterns’. For example (through information search), attitudes towards smoking in public places will be influenced by (a) whether the person smokes or not, (b) knowledge of friends or family with smoking-related illnesses, and (c) their pre-existing knowledge about the effects of passive smoking.
A favourable attitude does not always equate to a purchase. For example:
a) The consumer may not be able to afford the item
b) The store might be out of stock (situation) of the preferred brand
c) The decision may not be that important to the consumer, so it’s easy to change one’s mind
d) Competitor activity like a sale price or promotion might influence a brand-switching decision.
Attitudes vary in their strength
The intensity of a consumer’s attitude depends on how strongly consumers feel about something. An example to demonstrate this point is a federal or state election. If a consumer (or voter) feels strongly about Australia’s participation in the Iraq war, then this issue, over all others, will influence their decision about who they will vote for.
There is no such thing as a neutral attitude. You either have an attitude or you do not.
Attitudes must have an object. The object is the product, idea, product category, brand, service, environmental trend or issue, product use, advertisement, price, or retailer. Refer to the Interactive Class Exercises below.
Attitudes reflect a consumer’s values
Attitudes reflect a person’s values. For example, if someone believes that their efforts do make a difference in saving the environment, they will use ‘green bags’ for their shopping, and get involved in issues that they don’t agree on.
Not all consumer values are as strong as each other. A consumer has central and peripheral values (which will be addressed in Chapter 10). Central values are core values that have greater personal significance to an individual. Peripheral values are somewhat important, but can be more easily changed than central values. Look for examples here, through the Interactive Class Exercises.
The centrality of attitudes refers to the way in which attitudes are related to a consumer’s core values. Self-concept and attitudes towards oneself are important, as self-identity is a representation of central values.
Attitudes are learned
Consumers learn attitudes by building information up in their memory. This may be strengthened or weakened by various stimuli. Attitudes are formed as a result of direct experience with the product, information acquired from others, and exposure to mass media. Social influences like family and friends can have a greater influence on attitudes than a marketer’s message. Consider why a child often goes for the same football team as their parents. They learned that was the best team to go for, local or not!
Different situations influence attitudes
Attitudes can change over time, and with different circumstances. Ask for examples here, such as never eating dessert, unless you have guests; always buying the same brand unless the store is out of stock, etc.
2. Consumer attitude trends
Marketers need to track consumer attitude trends, to identify opportunities or threats in their marketing environment.
The ‘Eye on Australia’ research study is an annual survey that reports on consumer trends and community attitudes. The Net Search activity (text, p. 253) encourages students to look up the website and discover the most recent trends.
3. How are attitudes formed?
Attitudes are learned and can change over time and across different situations. A consumer can develop an attitude, but it may not remain the same forever. Learning principles can help us understand how attitudes are formed. The key influences are discussed below.
Conditioning
Chapter 6 addressed how learning can occur over time as a result of repeated exposure to stimuli. This is called ‘classical conditioning’. For example, if we are exposed continually to the message ‘there is no substitute for quality’ from Arnott’s, we will learn that Arnott’s is a quality biscuit brand.
Another learning principle is operant conditioning, where we receive rewards (or avoid punishments) if we behave in a certain way. If we are awarded with high interest for not withdrawing money and for depositing into a savings account at least twice a month, we will endeavour to save more vigorously than without these incentives.
Modelling
Modelling involves consumers developing attitudes that reflect the attitudes of those they trust or regard highly. This is also known as vicarious learning. Our attitudes may be influenced by family, friends, celebrities or famous sportspeople. This is the main reason why marketers use celebrities or those in authority in their marketing communications.
Cognitive learning
The other learning theory that influences attitudes is cognitive learning. This involves problem solving or reaching logical conclusions based on information. This type of attitude formation is most likely formed for high involvement products. However, low involvement product categories have used cognitive learning to change ingrained attitudes by outlining benefits for using their product, or costs for not using it. For example, the ‘put some pork on your fork’ campaign simply provided a slogan to remember (rote learning) but also outlined benefits of eating the ‘other white meat’ (cognitive learning).
Consumer inertia is present when consumers buy a brand out of habit, because they know it meets their needs. Little thinking is required here, but there is also little brand loyalty. Internet grocery shopping in a way relies on consumer inertia, since it is far quicker to use a previous shopping list and simply check the products, than it is to search for weekly specials and read product information.
4. Attitude models
Two attitude models were discussed in your text: the tri-component model and Fishbein’s multi-attribute model.
The tri-component model of learning
According to the tri-component attitude model, attitudes consist of three elements: cognitive, affective and conative (or behavioural). Recall at the beginning of this lecture guide, students were asked a number of questions relating to attitude. The examples chosen represented the three elements of attitude.
‘Ask students how they feel about no smoking in public places like bars? What do they think of the different political parties’ policies on terrorism? What have their ‘water saving’ actions been like with water restrictions in place?’
Affect (feelings)
Affect is based on psychological nervous responses to an object. In other words, the affective element consists of the consumer’s emotions or feelings. For example, ‘I hate people who drink and drive’.
Cognitions (beliefs)
The cognitive component of an attitude refers to what a person believes to be true about an idea, event, person, activity or object. Cognitions or beliefs include existing knowledge or experience with or about an object which allows the consumer to form perceptions or beliefs. Relating back to the affect example, the cognitive element of the attitude is that ‘people who drink and drive are wrong—they could kill someone innocent’.
Behaviour
The behaviour (or conative component as it is often called) relates to the likelihood that, or tendency of how, an individual will react to the attitude object. This includes our public observable behaviour. Relating back to the previous example, the conative element of the attitude could be that ‘I hate drink driving so much, I steal drinkers’ car keys!’
This model reinforces the need to monitor social trends, because attitudes are often expressed in these trends. Consider the trend of believing that take-away foods are unhealthy. Many consumers believe that takeaway foods are unhealthy (cognitive) and would feel guilty if their child was overweight eating this type of food (affect) so they stopped visiting stores like KFC and McDonald’s on a regular basis (behaviour). In response to this, Subway, the healthy take-away food alternative, is opening franchises across Australia, with a lot of success; and many of the other take-away food giants have introduced healthy alternatives for consumers.
The Interactive Class Exercises below encourage students to work in groups to develop the three components of an attitude. The Discussion Exercises also have an example for students to work on.
Fishbein’s multi-attribute model of attitudes
The multi-attribute model is so-called because it assumes that attitudes have many attributes that influence them. For example, we might like the Accor brand of hotels because of the benefits Advantage Plus members receive, there is consistency in quality of accommodation, we always have good service, and accommodation is very easy to book.
The differences between the tri-component model and the multi-attribute model are:
· The Fishbein model focuses mainly on the affective (feelings) component of attitudes
· The Fishbein model considers the strength or intensity of the multiple attributes that influence attitudes
· The Fishbein model distinguishes between intentions and behaviour, with behaviour determined more by intentions than attitudes
· The Fishbein model allows strength of attributes to be measured and more than one attribute to be considered at a time.
Fishbein developed variations of his multi-attribute model, including:
a) The Attitude-Toward-Object Model—The consumer’s attitude toward the object is a function of the existence and assessment of certain beliefs.
b) The Attitude-Toward-Behaviour Model—The consumer’s attitude toward behaving or acting with respect to an object, rather than the attitude toward the actual object.
c) Theory of Reasoned Action Model—A more comprehensive framework of attitude components incorporating cognitive, affective and conative components.
The three steps of Fishbein’s model include (1) attitudes need to be identified; (2) consumer intentions then need to be determined; (3) behaviour is then predicted based on these intentions.
Marketers use multi-attribute models to:
· See how one brand is positioned in comparison to the competition
· Determine the attributes that are most important for consumers
· Determine if there are differences in attribute importance across different target audiences
· Identify unmet needs in the market.
This model does not take into account the extent of influence of situational factors like out of stock, weather changes, etc.
Refer to the Interactive and Discussion Exercises to assess students’ understanding of the model.
5. Functions of attitudes
Attitudes have four main functions.
Adjustment function
The adjustment function of attitudes is based on people seeking out group acceptance to gain praise or rewards or avoid punishment. For example, a child enjoys swimming lessons because their instructor praises them for their efforts. The child wants to return again because they enjoyed the experience.