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Consumer Behavior
Roger D. Blackwell
Paul W. Miniard
James F. Engel
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CHAPTER 10
Consumer Beliefs, Feelings,
Attitudes, and Intentions
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Attitudes
Global evaluative judgments
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trademarks used herein under license.
Intentions
Subjective judgments by people
about how they will behave in the
future
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trademarks used herein under license.
Beliefs
Subjective judgments about the
relationship between two or more
things
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trademarks used herein under license.
Feelings
An affective state (e.g., current
mood state) or reaction (e.g.,
emotions experienced during
product consumption)
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Relationships between
Consumer Beliefs, Feelings,
Attitudes, and Intentions
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trademarks used herein under license.
Consumer Beliefs
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Consumer Beliefs
A Sampling of Consumer Beliefs
If a deal seems to good to be true, it probably is.
You can’t believe what most advertising says these days.
Auto repair shops take advantage of women.
People need less money to live on once they retire.
It’s not safe to use credit cards on the Internet.
Appliances today are not as durable as they were 20
years ago.
Extended warranties are worth the money.
You get what you pay for: lower price means lower
quality.
Changing the oil in your car every three thousand miles
is a waste of money.
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Consumer Beliefs
Expectations
Brand Distinctiveness
Inferential Beliefs
Consumer Confusion
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Consumer Expectations
Expectations are beliefs about the
future
Consumers’ willingness to spend is
influenced by beliefs about their
financial future
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Brand Distinctiveness
Why should consumer want to buy
your brand instead of the
competitor’s?
The desirability of products having
something unique to offer to their
consumers is also known as the
Unique Selling Proposition
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trademarks used herein under license.
Communicating the Product’s
Unique Selling Proposition
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trademarks used herein under license.
Inferential Beliefs
Consumers use information about
one thing to form beliefs about
something else
Beliefs are often inferred when
product information is incomplete
Also undertaken when consumers
interpret certain product attributes
as signals of product quality—e.g.,
price-quality inferential beliefs
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Visual Advertising Elements
and Inferential Beliefs
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trademarks used herein under license.
Consumer Confusion
Sometimes consumers do not
know what to believe due to many
different reasons
May arise due to conflicting
information and knowledge
Mistaking one company’s product
for the product of another company
Due to changes in a product’s
position and image
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Consumer Confusion
Consumers respond to confusion
by:
Undertaking further information
search
Basing their decision on things that
are perfectly clear—e.g., price
Deferring product purchase
indefinitely
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trademarks used herein under license.
Consumer Feelings
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trademarks used herein under license.
Types of Feelings
Upbeat
Negative
Warm
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Types of Feelings
Upbeat
Active
Adventurous
Alive
Attractive
Confident
Creative
Elated
Energetic
Good
Happy
Pleased
Negative
Angry
Annoyed
Bad
Bored
Critical
Defiant
Disgusted
Fed-up
Insulted
Irritated
Regretful
Warm
Affectionate
Calm
Concerned
Contemplative
Emotional
Hopeful
Kind
Peaceful
Pensive
Touched
Warm-hearted
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Consumer Feelings
Feelings as part of the advertising
experience
Feelings as part of the shopping
experience
Feelings as part of the consumption
experience
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Consumer Feelings
Feelings as part of the advertising
experience
Feelings activated by the advertisement
have the potential to influence attitudes
formed about the featured product
The program in which advertising
appears can induce feelings and affect
post-message attitudes
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trademarks used herein under license.
Advertising that Evokes
Positive Feelings
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trademarks used herein under license.
Consumer Feelings
Feelings as part of the shopping
experience
The retail environment elicits different
feelings in consumers ultimately affecting
their attitudes and behaviors in the store
The shopping environment can evoke
pleasure, arousal, or dominance in
consumers
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Consumer Feelings
Feelings as part of the consumption
experience
Some consumption experiences are liked
primarily for the feelings they induce
Feelings during consumption will
influence post-consumption evaluations
Consumers are more satisfied when
product consumption leads to positive
feelings while avoiding negative ones
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Emphasizing the Product’s Mood
Altering Properties
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trademarks used herein under license.
Emphasizing How Negative
Feelings May Be Avoided
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trademarks used herein under license.
Measuring Feelings
How often, if at all, do you experience the following feelings as a
result of eating chocolate?
Happy
never _:_:_:_:_:_:_:_:_ very often
Excited
never _:_:_:_:_:_:_:_:_ very often
Delighted
never _:_:_:_:_:_:_:_:_ very often
Joyous
never _:_:_:_:_:_:_:_:_ very often
Satisfied
never _:_:_:_:_:_:_:_:_ very often
Proud
never _:_:_:_:_:_:_:_:_ very often
Annoyed
never _:_:_:_:_:_:_:_:_ very often
Depressed
never _:_:_:_:_:_:_:_:_ very often
Guilty
never _:_:_:_:_:_:_:_:_ very often
Regretful
never _:_:_:_:_:_:_:_:_ very often
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Consumer Attitudes
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Consumer Attitudes
Properties of Attitudes
Valence: Whether the attitude is positive,
negative or neutral
Extremity: The intensity of liking or
disliking
Resistance: Degree to which the attitude
is immune to change
Confidence: Belief that attitude is correct
Accessibility: How easily the attitude can
be retrieved from memory
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Types of Attitudes
Attitude towards the object (Ao)
represents the evaluation of the
attitude object
Attitude towards the advertisement
(Aad) represents the global evaluation
of an advertisement
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trademarks used herein under license.
Types of Attitudes
Attitude towards the behavior (Ab)
represents the evaluation of
performing a particular behavior
involving the attitude object
Preferences represent attitudes
toward one object in relation to
another
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Attitude toward the behavior:
Buying a Dell personal computer would be:
Very good 1 2 3 4 5 Very bad
Very rewarding 1 2 3 4 5 Very punishing
Very wise 1 2 3 4 5 Very foolish
Attitude toward the object:
How much do you like/dislike Dell computers?
Like very much
1 2 3 4 5 Dislike very much
Preference:
Compared to Apple personal computers, how
much do you like Dell personal computers?
Like IBM much 1 2 3 4 5 Like Apple much
more than Apple
more than IBM
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trademarks used herein under license.
Using Multiattribute Models to
Understand Consumer Attitudes
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The Fishbein Multiattribute
Attitude Model
n
Ao = Σ bi ei
i =1
Ao = attitude toward the object
bi = strength of the belief that object has attribute i
ei = evaluation of attribute i
n = number of salient or important attributes
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trademarks used herein under license.
The Fishbein Multiattribute
Attitude Model
The Fishbein Model
Model proposes that attitude
toward an object is based on the
summed set of beliefs about the
object’s attributes weighted by
the evaluation of these attributes
Attributes can be any product or
brand association
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trademarks used herein under license.
The Fishbein Multiattribute
Attitude Model
Running shoe example
Whether the shoe is shock absorbent for
use on hard surfaces
Whether it is priced less than $50
Durability of the shoe
How comfortable the shoe is to wear
Whether the shoe is available in the desired
color
Amount of arch support
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trademarks used herein under license.
The Fishbein Multiattribute
Attitude Model
Developing the ei and bi measures
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trademarks used herein under license.
The Fishbein Multiattribute
Attitude Model
Developing the ei and bi measures
ei
Buying running shoes priced less than $50 is
very good
_:_:_:_:_:_:_
very bad
+3 +2 +1 0 -1 -2 -3
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trademarks used herein under license.
The Fishbein Multiattribute
Attitude Model
Developing the ei and bi measures
ei
Buying running shoes priced less than $50 is
very good
_:_:_:_:_:_:_
very bad
+3 +2 +1 0 -1 -2 -3
bi
How likely is it that brand A running shoes are
priced less than $50?
very likely _ : _ : _ : _ : _ : _ : _ very unlikely
+3 +2 +1 0 -1 -2 -3
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The Fishbein Model: Sample Results
Attribute
Beliefs
Brand Brand Brand
Evaluation A
B
C
Shock absorbent
+2
+2
+1
-1
Price less than $50
-1
-3
-1
+3
Durability
+3
+3
+1
-1
Comfort
+3
+2
+3
+1
Desired color
+1
+1
+3
+3
Arch support
+2
+3
+1
-2
+29
+20
-6
Total Σ bi ei score
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Consumer Attitudes
Companies want consumers to
perceive their products as:
Possessing desirable attributes
(when ei positive, bi should be
positive)
Not possessing undesirable
attributes (when ei is negative, bi
should be negative)
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Communicating the Presence
of Desirable Attributes
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trademarks used herein under license.
Communicating the Absence
of Undesirable Attributes
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trademarks used herein under license.
The Ideal-Point Multiattribute
Attitude Model
n
AP = Σ Wi Ii - Xi
i =1
AP = attitude toward product
Wi = importance of attribute i
Ii = ideal performance on attribute i
Xi = belief about product’s actual performance on
attribute i
n = number of salient attributes
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The Ideal-Point Multiattribute
Attitude Model
Consumers indicate where they
believe a product is located on
scales representing the various
levels of salient attributes
Also report where ideal product
would fall on these scales
The closer the ideal and actual
ratings, the more favorable the
attitude
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The Ideal-Point Multiattribute
Attitude Model
Soft drink example
Sweetness of taste
Degree of carbonation
Number of calories
Amount of real fruit juices
Price
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The Ideal-Point Multiattribute
Attitude Model
Developing a scale to represent
various levels of each attribute
very sweet taste
_:_:_:_:_:_:_
1 2 3 4 5
very bitter taste
6 7
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The Ideal-Point Multiattribute
Attitude Model
Developing a scale to represent
various levels of each attribute
very sweet taste
_:_:_:_:_:_:_
1 2 3 4 5
very bitter taste
6 7
Provide ratings of attribute
importance
not at all important
_:_:_:_:_:_:_
0 1 2 3 4 5
extremely important
6
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The Ideal-Point Model: Sample Results
Attribute
Taste:
sweet(1) - bitter (7)
Beliefs
Import- Ideal Brand Brand
ance
Point
A
B
6
2
2
3
Carbonation:
high(1) - low (7)
3
3
2
6
Calories:
high (1) - low (7)
4
5
4
5
Fruit juices:
high (1) - low (7)
4
1
2
2
Price:
high (1) - low (7)
5
5
4
3
16
29
Total Σ Wi Ii-Xi score
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Benefits of Using Multiattribute
Attitude Models
Diagnostic power: examine why
consumers like or dislike products
Simultaneous importanceperformance grid with marketing
implications for each cell
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Stimulus Importance-Performance Grid
Attribute
Our
Competitor’s
Importance Performance Performance
POOR
Simultaneous
Result
Poor
Neglected Opportunity
Good
Competitive Disadvantage
Poor
Competitive Advantage
Good
Head-to-head competition
Poor
Null Opportunity
Good
False Alarm
Poor
False Advantage
Good
False Competition
HIGH
GOOD
POOR
LOW
GOOD
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Benefits of Using Multiattribute
Attitude Models
Can provide information for
segmentation (based on importance
of product attributes)
Useful in new product development
Guidance in identifying attitude
change strategies
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Attitude Change Implications from
Multiattribute Attitude Models
Three primary ways for changing
consumer attitudes:
Change beliefs
Change attribute importance
Change ideal points
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Changing Consumer Attitudes:
Changing Beliefs
Firms hope that changing beliefs about
products will result in more favorable
product attitudes and influence what
consumers buy
If beliefs are false, they need to be
brought into harmony with reality
If beliefs are accurate, it may be
necessary to change the product
Comparative advertising can hurt beliefs
about a competitive brand
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trademarks used herein under license.
Changing Consumer Attitudes:
Changing Attribute Importance
Changing an attribute’s importance is
more difficult than changing a belief
How is a brand perceived relative to
ideal performance?
Increasing attribute importance is
desirable when the competitor’s brand
is farther from the ideal point than your
product
Firms may add a new attribute
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Changing Consumer Attitudes:
Changing Ideal Points
Altering consumers’ preferences for
what the ideal product should look like
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trademarks used herein under license.
This Ad Attempts to Change
Consumers’ Ideal Point
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trademarks used herein under license.
Estimating the Attitudinal Impact
of Alternative Changes
How expensive are the product
modifications required to change
attitude?
Are they possible to accomplish?
How resistant to change are
consumers?
What is the potential attitudinal
payoff each change might deliver?
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trademarks used herein under license.
Consumer Intentions
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Consumer Intentions
Useful for firms when predicting
how people will act as consumers
How much existing product should
be produced to meet demand?
How much demand will there be for
a new product?
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trademarks used herein under license.
Consumer Intentions
Useful for firms when predicting
how people will act as consumers
How much existing product should
be produced to meet demand?
How much demand will there be for
a new product?
Firms interested in many types of
consumer intentions
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Types of Intentions
Spending intentions
Purchase intentions
Repurchase intentions
Shopping intentions
Search intentions
Consumption intentions
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Types of Intentions
Spending intentions reflect how
much money consumers think they
will spend
Will you spend at least $1,000 on Christmas gifts this year?
No chance 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 I definitely will
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Types of Intentions
Purchase intentions represent what
consumers think they will buy
Will you buy a Mercedes-Benz automobile during the next
12 months?
No chance 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 I definitely will
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trademarks used herein under license.
Types of Intentions
Repurchase intentions indicate
whether consumers anticipate
buying the same product or brand
again
The next time you purchase coffee, will you buy the same
brand?
No chance 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 I definitely will
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Types of Intentions
Shopping intentions capture where
consumers plan on making their
product purchases
Will you shop at Wal*Mart during the next 30 days?
No chance 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 I definitely will
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trademarks used herein under license.
Types of Intentions
Search intentions indicate
consumers’ intentions to engage in
external search
The next time you need to be hospitalized, will you speak to
your doctor before choosing a hospital?
No chance 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 I definitely will
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trademarks used herein under license.
Types of Intentions
Consumption intentions represent
consumers’ intentions to engage in
a particular consumption activity
Will you watch the next Super Bowl?
No chance 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 I definitely will
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trademarks used herein under license.
How Firms Can Predict Behavior
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trademarks used herein under license.
How Firms Can Predict Behavior
Rely on past behavior to predict
future behavior
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How Firms Can Predict Behavior
Rely on past behavior to predict
future behavior
Problems:
Situations change (changes in market
can cause unpredictable changes in
demand)
Sales trends are sometimes erratic
Past behaviors not available for new
products or first-time behaviors
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How Firms Can Predict Behavior
Rely on consumers’ reported
intentions
People often do what they intend
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trademarks used herein under license.
Constraints on Predictive Power
of Intentions
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trademarks used herein under license.
Constraints on Predictive Power
of Intentions
Intentions can change
Intend to do something and don’t
Intend not to do something and do
Can’t control whether consumers
act upon their intentions
Can influence predictive accuracy
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trademarks used herein under license.
Constraints on Predictive Power
of Intentions
Intentions’ predictive accuracy
strongly depends on how they are
measured
The more closely intention
measures correspond to the to-bepredicted behavior, the greater the
predictive accuracy
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Constraints on Predictive Power
of Intentions
Measuring intentions may be less
predictive of future behavior than
measuring what they expect to do
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trademarks used herein under license.
Constraints on Predictive Power
of Intentions
Measuring intentions may be less
predictive of future behavior than
measuring what they expect to do
Behavioral expectations: represent
perceived likelihood of performing
a behavior
(Although smokers may intend to quit
smoking, they may report more
moderate expectations due to past
failures)
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Constraints on Predictive Power
of Intentions
Accuracy of forecasts also depends
on when intentions are measured
How far into the future is being
predicted?
Accuracy depends on the to-bepredicted behavior (behaviors
repeated with regularity are easier
to predict)
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Constraints on Predictive Power
of Intentions
Volitional control: the degree to
which a behavior can be performed
at will
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trademarks used herein under license.
Constraints on Predictive Power
of Intentions
Volitional control: the degree to
which a behavior can be performed
at will
Existence of uncontrollable factors
interfere with the ability to do as
intended
Perceived behavioral control: the
person’s belief about how easy it is
to perform the behavior
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Consumer Intentions: Other Uses
Indicator of the possible effects of
certain marketing activities
Intentions may provide an
informative indication of a
company’s likely success in
retaining customers
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