Chapter 9
Beliefs, Affect, Attitude, and
Intention
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Chapter Spotlights
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The three component theory of attitude
Beliefs: cognitive component of consumer
attitude
Affect: emotive component of consumer
attitude
Intention: behavioral intention component
of consumer attitude
Attitude-behavior consistency
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
The Three Component Theory of
Attitude
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Cognitive component: consumer belief(s) about a
brand, outlet, product, action, etc., that is based on
personal knowledge, actual experience, the
knowledge or experience of others, or perception.
Affective component: consumer feelings (e.g.
likes, dislikes, or neutrality) about a brand, outlet,
product, action, etc. flowing from beliefs.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
The Three Component Theory of
Attitude
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Intention component (“behavior” or “behavioral
intention”): consumer’s intention to act positively,
negatively, or neutrally toward a brand, outlet,
product, action, etc. that is based on his or her
affective component stance.
This three component theory seems to be more
clearly tied to high-involvement brand, outlet,
product, action, etc. situations than lowinvolvement.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Beliefs: Cognitive Component of
Consumer Attitude
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A consumer belief is a psychological association
between a product, brand, outlet, action, etc. and
an attribute or feature (and associated benefits) of
such
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Beliefs are cognitive (based on knowledge, experience,
perception, etc.)
The stronger the association of features or attributes
(and associated benefits) with the product, brand,
outlet, action, etc., the stronger the consumer’s belief
Brand equity is a measure of the strength of the
association in the marketplace
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Strategies To Change Consumer
Beliefs
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Positioning by
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Product attributes
Consumer benefits
Intangible attributes
Price
Application
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Brand user
Celebrity recognition
Brand personality
Product category
Association with
competitors
Country or geographic
area
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Affect: Emotive Component of
Attitude
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Purchase decisions are typically influenced by affective
response
Affect—the way in which we feel (e.g. like, dislike,
neutral) in response to marketplace stimuli
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It is emotive rather than cognitive (beliefs)
It is comprised of both our knowledge of stimuli and our
evaluations of them
Affective responses can be very general or very specific
“Measures” of the affective component of attitude: the “Functional
Theory of Attitude,” the “Fishbein Model,” and the “Beliefimportance Model”
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Functional Theory of Attitude
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Affective responses help consumers reach
purchase decisions in four ways:
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Adjustment: developing affective responses that lead to
perceived rewards and avoid perceived punishments
Ego defense: means through which people try to realize
personal goals and images
Value expression: displaying consumers’ own values to
the external world
Application of prior knowledge: may lead to both
positive and negative effects on affective response
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
The Fishbein Model
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Affective responses to a brand consist of:
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The strength or weakness of a consumer’s
beliefs about the brand and its attributes
The consumer’s evaluation of or feelings
toward those attributes
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
The Fishbein Model
m
A   Bi Ei
i 1
where,
A=
Bi =
Ei =
I=
Attitude towards a brand
Belief that the brand possesses attribute i
Evaluation or desirability of attribute i
attribute 1, 2, … m
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
An Application of the Fishbein
Model
Research Question:
What is the listeners’ attitude towards
WXYZ radio station?
Measurement scales:
Beliefs about specific attributes:
For example:
Do you believe that radio station WXYZ plays
lots of music?
Yes +3 +2 +1 0 -1 -2 -3 No
Evaluation weights for each attribute:
For example:
How appealing is it to you when a radio station
plays lots of music?
Very appealing +3 +2 +1 0 -1 -2 -3 Not appealing
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
An Application of the Fishbein
Model
ATTRIBUTE
Bi
Ei
Bi x Ei
Plays lots of music
+3
+3
+9
Plays lots of commercials
+3
-3
-9
Gives news updates
+1
+1
+1
Has interesting DJs
+2
+3
+6
SUM
+7
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
The Fishbein Model—Changing
Affective Responses
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Change Bi
Change Ei
Add a new Bi/Ei combination
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Belief-Importance Model
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The Fishbein model looks at brands in
isolation
The B-I model allows the comparison of
affective responses toward competing
brands
Evoked set of brands—a list of brands we
consider prior to making a decision
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The Belief-Importance Model
m
Ao   Bio I i
i 1
where,
Ao =
Bio =
Ii =
i=
Attitude toward brand (o)
Belief that brand (o) does well or poorly when
its attribute (i) is compared with those of competitors
Importance of attribute (i) in selecting the brand
attribute 1, 2, … m
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Intention: Behavior Component of
Consumer Attitude
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Affect is not closely linked to actual
purchase
Behavioral intention—attitude toward brand
purchase (an action)
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A better predictor of behavior than either
beliefs or affective responses
Behavioral intention models:
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Theory of Reasoned Action
Theory of Trying
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Theory of Reasoned Action
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Behavior is a direct result of intention
Two factors involved in behavioral
intention:
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Attitude toward an act
Subjective norm
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Attitude toward the Act
m
Aact   Bi Ei
i 1
where,
Aact =
Bi =
Ei =
i=
Attitude toward the act of purchasing a particular brand
Belief that performance of a certain behavior—brand
purchase—will lead to an anticipated outcome
Evaluation of an anticipated outcome, either a positive
benefit or the avoidance of a negative consequence
anticipated outcome 1, 2, … m
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Subjective Norm
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SN refers to the perception of what other people
think we should do with respect to a certain
behavior, such as brand purchase, and what the
response to this pressure will be
SN consists of
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Normative beliefs: the perceived expectations that
significant others think the consumer should or should
not behave in a certain way (buy the brand)
Motivation to comply: the extent to which the
consumer considers the possible opinions of significant
others when forming an intent to purchase
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Attitude toward the Act
n
SN   NB j MC j
j 1
where,
SN =
Subjective norm—the motivation toward an act as
determined by the influence of significant others
NBj = Normative beliefs—belief that significant others (j)
expect the consumer to engage in an action
MCj = Motivation to comply—the extent to which the
consumer is motivated to realize the expectations of
significant others (j)
j=
significant other 1, 2, … n
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Combining Act and Subjective
Norm
B  f [( BI )  f ( Aact ) w1  ( SN ) w2]
where,
B=
BI=
Aact =
SN =
W1 and w2 =
Overt behavior, i.e., brand purchase
Behavioral intention or purchase intention
Attitude toward purchase of brand
Subjective norm
empirically determined evaluation weights
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Applying the Theory of Reasoned
Action to Change Intentions
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It helps to identify those attributes most important
in causing consumers to form positive (or
negative) attitudes toward the purchase of a
product
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Changing attitude toward purchase
It helps to identify and helps to adjust sources of
social pressure and their possible role in intention
formation
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Changing subjective norms
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Theory of Trying
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The “theory of reasoned action” cannot be
used to predict behavior in situations in
which consumption takes place over an
extended period of time
The “theory of trying” explores
consumption behavior rather than buying
behavior
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Theory of Trying—Application
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Intention to try
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Frequency of trying
Social norms toward trying
Attitude toward trying
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Attitude toward consumption:
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Attitude toward success together with the expectations of success
Attitude toward failure together with expectation of failure
Attitude toward the process
Beliefs about consequences
Evaluation of consequences
Frequency of past trying
Recency of past trying
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Applying the Theory of Trying to
Change Consumption Behavior
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Understanding consumption behavior is necessary in order
to establish long-term relationships with customers
Marketers must encourage, support, and reward the
consumption act
It helps marketers understand:
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How people consume products and services
Why they consume them or not
What will make them consume products in the future
If they will consume product in the future
What they need to stimulate long-term consumption
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Attitude-Behavior Consistency
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It refers to the extent to which attitude leads to
purchase
It is influenced by
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Consumer factors: access to resources, past experiences
with a brand, orientation (action- or state-oriented
consumers)
Situational factors: time passed, message repetition,
social influence
Measurement factors: specificity, time of measurement
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003