COM 343
CHAPTER SEVEN
ATTITUDES
&
Behavioural Intentions
ATTITUDE
IS:
 A PERSON’S OVERALL EVALUATION OF A CONCEPT.
 CAN BE CREATED BY BOTH COGNITIVE AND
AFFECTIVE SYSTEMS.
 OUR FOCUS WILL BE TO TREAT ATTITUDES AS
EVALUATIONS PRODUCED BY THE COGNITIVE
SYSTEM, OF AN OBJECT OR BEHAVIOUR.
 THE INTEGRATION PROCESS PRIORITIZES THESE
EVALUATIONS IN TERMS OF PERSONAL
RELEVANCE
 ONCE STORED IN MEMORY THE ATTITUDE CAN BE
ACTIVATED WITHOUT REPEATING THE
INTEGRATION PROCESS.
 ATTITUDES ARE ALWAYS TOWARD SOME OBJECT
OR BEHAVIOUR.
TWO BASIC TYPES:
(A) = ATTITUDES TOWARD OBJECTS IN THE
PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
(PRODUCTS, STORES, SALES PEOPLE)
(Aact) = ATTITUDE TOWARD THEIR OWN BEHAVIOURS
OR ACTIONS
(BUYING THAT SWEATER WAS STUPID)
MARKETING IMPLICATIONS:
CONSUMER ATTITUDES ARE STUDIED PRIMARILY IN
TERMS OF:
BRAND EQUITY
 TO GAGE THE PERCEIVED VALUE OF A POSITIVE
BRAND ATTITUDE
 POSITIVE BRAND ATTITUDE CAN BE
 BUILT – CAMPBELL’S SOUP
 BORROWED – DIET COKE
 BOUGHT – PUROLATOR
TRACKING STUDIES ARE USED TO IDENTIFY
TRENDS AND CHANGE OR SHIFTS IN ATTITUDE
(Aad) = ATTITUDES TOWARD MARKETING
COMMUNICATION (COMMERCIAL MESSAGES)
ABOUT OBJECTS IN THE PHYSICAL AND
SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
(PRODUCTS, STORES, SALES PEOPLE)
CAN BE EITHER POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE
(A)
ATTITUDES TOWARDS OBJECTS
SALIENT BELIEFS
ARE THE FEW ACTIVATED BELIEFS
THAT INFLUENCE A PERSON’S ATTITUDE
TOWARD A CONCEPT.
THE HIERARCHY OF EFFECTS
LOW INVOLVEMENT – 1 OR 2 SALIENT BELIEFS
LEVEL OF COMMITMENT - COMPLIANT
HIGH INVOLVEMENT – 7 TO 9 SALIENT BELIEFS
LEVEL OF COMMITMENT – IDENTIFIES WITH → INTERNALIZES
ZAJONIC’S MODEL OF HEDONIC CONSUMPTION
SUGGESTS THAT ATTITUDE FORMATION & CONSEQUENT SALIENT
BELIEFS CAN BE INFLUENCED IN A SHORTENED TIME FRAME BY:
AESTHETIC, SUBJECTIVE OR HOLISTIC EVALUATIONS OF IMMEDIATE
SENSORY PLEASURE VS. REASONED EXPERIENCE.
MULTI-ATTRIBUTE ATTITUDE MODEL
(A )
O
=
(n (i=1)) b
i ei
(A) (Attitude toward the object)
=
n = # of Salient Beliefs
x’s
bi = the strength of the belief that the object has attribute
I
x’s
ei = the evaluation of attribute I (+T / -F)
THIS MODEL ATTEMPTS TO EXPLAIN HOW SALIENT BELIEFS
ABOUT MULTIPLE ATTRIBUTES OF AN OBJECT INFLUENCE A
CONSUMER'S ATTITUDES TOWARD THE OBJECT.
THE KEY IDEA IS THAT OVERALL ATTITUDE IS BASED
ON:
A) STRENGTH OF BELIEF
(PERCEIVED PROBABILITY OF ASSOCIATION
BETWEEN AN OBJECT AND A RELEVANT
ATTRIBUTE)
B) EVALUATION OF THE BELIEFS
(HOW FAVOURABLY THE ATTRIBUTE IS
REGARDED)
APPLICATIONS
FOR THIS MULTI-ATTRIBUTE ATTITUDE MODEL
1. UNDERSTANDING WHICH ATTRIBUTES ARE THE
MOST SALIENT. E.G. AIRLINE FOOD
2. DIAGNOSING MARKETING STRATEGIES E.G. WALMART AND THE VALUE CONSCIOUS 90’S
3. UNDERSTANDING ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES
ON SALIENT BELIEFS ABOUT PRODUCT
ATTRIBUTES. TIME OF DAY, WEATHER, PHYSICAL
SETTING E.G. SNACK FOOD, TV OR SCHOOL
LUNCH
ATTITUDE CHANGE STRATEGIES
1.
ADDING A NEW SALIENT BELIEF
E.G. G.I. JOE ~ ASTRONAUT
2. CHANGE THE STRENGTH OF EXISTING
SALIENT
E.G. BELIEF – BEEF ED.
3.
CHANGE EVALUATIONS OF AN EXISTING
STRONGLY HELD BELIEF ABOUT A SALIENT
ATTRIBUTE
E.G. KELLOGG’S FIBRE & CANCER
PREVENTION
4. MORE SELF-RELEVANT MAKE AN
EXISTING FAVOURABLE BELIEF MORE SALIENT
E.G. BAIN DE SOLEIL – WRINKLES & CANCER
ATTITUDES TOWARD BEHAVIOURS
(Aact)
AO (ATTITUDE TOWARD AN OBJECT)
IS SELDOM A GOOD PREDICTOR OF A SPECIFIC BEHAVIOUR
EG. FERRARIS
THE THEORY OF REASONED ACTION
ASSUMES THAT CONSUMERS:
1) CONSCIOUSLY EVALUATE THE CONSEQUENCES OF
THE ALTERNATIVE BEHAVIOURS
2) CHOOSE THE BEHAVIOUR THAT IS PERCEIVED TO
LEAD TO THE MOST DESIRABLE CONSEQUENCES.
BEHAVIOURAL INTENTION
(PLAN TO ACT)
A FUNCTION OF TWO FACTORS:
A) THE PERSON’S ATTITUDE TOWARD THE
BEHAVIOUR (Aact) \
B) THE SUBJECTIVE
NORM (SN) PERCEIVED
SOCIAL PRESSURE
Aact AND SN
COMBINE TO FORM
AN INTENTION TO BEHAVE
(Bi),
WHICH IN TURN DETERMINES THE ACTUAL BEHAVIOUR
Bi IS TIME SENSITIVE
REMEMBER
A) BEHAVIOURS ABOUT WHICH CONSUMERS HAVE
LITTLE KNOWLEDGE AND LOW LEVELS OF
INVOLVEMENT ARE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO
PREDICT. (NO PRECEDENT)
B) BEFORE RELYING ON MEASURES OF ATTITUDE AND
INTENTIONS TO PREDICT FUTURE BEHAVIOUR,
MARKETERS NEED TO DETERMINE WHETHER
CONSUMERS CAN REASONABLY BE EXPECTED TO
HAVE WELL-FORMED BELIEFS, ATTITUDES AND
INTENTIONS TOWARDS THOSE BEHAVIOURS.
(A THRESHOLD OF PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE IS NEEDED
TO ASSESS ATTITUDES & INTENTIONS.)
RELATED CONCEPTS
THE PRINCIPLE OF COGNITIVE CONSISTENCY
&
THE THEORY OF COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
(& HARMONY)
CONSUMERS INNATELY PURSUE A SENSE OF BALANCE OR HARMONY
SELF-PERCEPTION THEORY
CONSUMERS WILL RATIONALIZE THEIR BEHAVIOUR AFTER THE FACT
(I DID THERE FOR, I DO)
‘FOOT-IN-THE-DOOR’ TECHNIQUE
‘LADDERING THEORY APPLIED TO SELLING ~ ‘YES, YES, YES…”
BALANCE THEORY
APPLIED COGNITIVE CONSISTENCY THEORY