Chapter 6:
Attitudes & Intentions
Attitude
• Is an overall evaluation of an object.
• It is an affective response of low physiological
arousal/intensity.
• The object can be:
–
–
–
–
–
–
An ad
A product
A brand
A consumption situation
A spokesperson
An idea etc.
When Attitudes Play a Role
• When they are accessible, i.e., the
likelihood of their activation is high.
• Accessibility depends on:
– Self-relevance of attitude
– Frequency of prior activation
– The strength of association between the attitude concept
and the attitude.
Measuring Attitudes
McDonald’s French Fries
Extremely Unfavorable
-3
-2
-1
0
+1
+2
+3
Extremely Favorable
Dislike Very Much
-3
-2
-1
0
+1
+2
+3
Like Very Much
Very Bad
-3
-2
-1
0
+1
+2
+3
Very Good
Attitudes are measured using “semantic differentials” – rating scales that are
anchored by two opposing descriptions on either side of the scale.
Absolut vodka’s clever ads have created
positive attitudes.
Another Absolut Ad
A Model of Consumer Decision Making
Information in the
environment
Interpretation
Exposure,attention,
and comprehension
Memory
Product
knowledge and
involvement
Knowledge, meanings
and beliefs
Integration
Attitudes and
intentions
Behavior
Consumer
decision
making
Variations in Level of Attitude Concept
Levels of
attitude concept
Product class
Product form
Brand
Example – Fast Food
Fast-food restaurants
Pizza restaurants
McDonald’s
Model
Elgin McDonald’s
Brand/model/
general situation
Lunch mostly alone
Brand/model/
specific situation
Hamburger restaurants
Eating lunch with to get a
quick bite between classes
Burger King
McDonald’s at the Galleria
Dinner with kids and
family
Eating dinner with kids at
the Galleria while
shopping
Variations in Level of Attitude Concept
Levels of
attitude concept
Example -- Coffee
Product class
Product form
Coffee
Instant
Fresh Ground Filtered
Brand
Taster’s Choice
Starbucks
Model
Gourmet Roast
Brand/model/
general situation
Brand/model/
specific situation
At home
After lunch alone,
watching TV, or with
friends on weekends
100% Colombian
Away from home
Usually on a whim, often
unplanned. “Sugar in the
Raw” a must.
Bristol Myers Squibb has built considerable
brand equity – the overall evaluation of a brand
in the market place.
Brand equity =
1. Reluctance to
substitute
2. Repeat purchase
3. Differential demand
elasticity (?)
Salient beliefs and Attitude
Salient beliefs about
Crest
All beliefs about Crest
• Crest has fluoride
• Crest is approved by the
American Dental Association
• Crest has mint flavor
• Crest comes in a gel
• Crest is made by Procter &
Gamble
• Crest has a red, white, and
blue package
• Crest prevents cavities
• Crest freshens breath
• Crest gets teeth clean
• Crest comes in tubes
• Crest comes in a pump
container
• Crest is more expensive than
store brands
• Crest is what my parents use
• Crest has a tartar-control
formula
•
•
•
•
Crest has fluoride
Crest has mint flavor
Crest comes in a gel
Crest comes in a pump
container
• Crest has a tartar-control
formula
Attitude
toward
Crest
Salient beliefs and Attitude
Has
fluoride
Has mint
flavor
Comes in a
gel
Crest
Comes in a
pump
Has a tartar-control
formula
Salient beliefs and Attitude
Freshens breath
Has
fluoride
Prevents
cavities
Has mint
flavor
Tastes good
Comes in a
gel
Has a red, white,
and blue package
Is made by
Procter &
Gamble
Crest
Comes in a
pump
Approved by the
American Dental
Association
Is what my
parents use
Has a tartar-control
formula
Is more expensive
than store brands
Gets teeth clean
No mess
Comes in tubes
Understanding Attitudes
• Attitudes depend on two things:
– The strength of salient beliefs
– The evaluation of the salient beliefs
The Multi-attribute Model
• It is a mathematical way of expressing the
concept of attitudes.
• Multiply the strength of each salient belief
with the corresponding evaluation.
• Add it all up. You now have a numerical
representation of attitude.
Multi-attribute Attitude Model
b1 = 10
7up
b2 = 5
No caffeine
e1 = +3
All natural
ingredients
e2 = +1
b3 = 8
Ao = 27
Lemon-lime
flavor
e3 = -1
Multi-attribute Attitude Model
b1 = 6
Diet
Pepsi
Ao = 4
b2 = 6
No calories
e1 = +2
Caffeine
e2 = -3
b3 = 10
Cola flavor
e3 = +1
Changing Attitudes
• Increase strength of positive salient belief
– Decrease strength of negative salient belief
• Make a less-salient positive belief more salient
• Improve the evaluation of strong salient belief
– Changing negative to positive is hard.
• Add a new salient belief that will be positively
evaluated.
Measuring Evaluation Component
“Sodas that have no caffeine”
Very Bad
-3
-2
-1
0
+1
+2
+3
Very Good
“Sodas with cola flavor”
Very Bad
-3
-2
-1
0
+1
+2
+3
Very Good
Measuring Belief Component
“Diet Pepsi has no caffeine”
Strongly Disagree
1—2—3—4—5—6—7—8—9--10
Strongly Agree
“Diet Pepsi has cola flavor”
Strongly Disagree
1—2—3—4—5—6—7—8—9--10
Strongly Agree
Attitude – Behavior Link
• Does a positive attitude mean favorable
behavior.
• No.
• This relationship is examined in the Theory
of Reasoned Action – a model of behavior
that explains how attitudes link to behavior.
Beliefs, Attitude, and Behaviors
Beliefs about
Pizza Hut
• Has pan pizzas
• Has super supreme
pizzas
• Has a salad bar
• Serves beer
• Is more expensive than
Domino’s
• Has convenient
location
• Has free parking
• Has pleasant
employees
• Has nice atmosphere
Behaviors toward
Pizza Hut
Attitude
toward
Pizza
Hut
Ao
Feedback
• Go to Pizza Hut on
Friday night
• Order a large pan pizza
• Complain to manager
• Ignore Pizza Hut ad on
TV
• Use a Pizza Hut coupon
for a free soft drink
• Recommend Pizza Hut
to boss
• Read Pizza Hut menu
The Theory of Reasoned Action
Beliefs that
behavior B
leads to salient
consequences
Evaluation of
salient
consequences
Beliefs that
relevant others
think I should
perform the
behavior B
Motivation to
comply with
relevant others
Attitude
toward
behavior B
Aact
Relative
weighting
for
importance
Subjective
norm about
behavior B
SN
Intention
to
perform
behavior
B
Behavior
B
Behavioral Intention Rating Scale
“All things considered, how likely are you to
use newspaper coupons when buying
groceries this week or next?
Extremely unlikely
-3
-2
-1
0
+1
+2
+3
Extremely likely
Factors that weaken the relationship
between intention and behavior
Intervening
Time
Different
Levels of
Specificity
Unforeseen
Intermediate
Consumption
Events
Unforeseen
Changes in
Environmental
Context
Degree of
Voluntary
Control
Instability of
Intentions
New
Information