Attitudes
Chapter 7
The Power of Attitudes
• Attitude:
– A lasting, general evaluation of
people (including oneself),
objects, advertisements, or
issues
– Anything toward which one has
an attitude is called an object (Ao).
– Attitudes are lasting because
they tend to endure over time.
Cognition
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The Functions of Attitudes
• Functional Theory of Attitudes:
– Attitudes exist because they serve some function for
the person (i.e., they are determined by a person’s
motives)
• Katz’s Attitude Functions
– Utilitarian function: obtain rewards / avoid
punishments
– Value-expressive function: express identify to others
– Ego-defensive function: self-protection
– Knowledge function: simplifies decisions, e.g., Brand
loyalty
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Addressing Smoking Attitudes
• This Norwegian ad addresses young people’s smoking attitudes by
arousing strong negative feelings. The ad reads (left panel)
“Smokers are more sociable than others.” (Right panel): “While it
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lasts.”
The ABC Model of Attitudes
• Affect:
– The way a consumer feels about an attitude object
• Behavior:
– Involves the person’s intentions to do something
with regard to an attitude object
• Cognition:
– The beliefs a consumer has about an attitude
object
• Hierarchy of Effects:
– A fixed sequence of steps that occur en route to an
attitude
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Hierarchy of Effects
Figure 7.1
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Hierarchy of Effects
• Standard Learning Hierarchy
– Results in strong brand loyalty
– Assumes high consumer involvement
• Low-Involvement Hierarchy
– Consumer does not have strong brand preference
– Consumers swayed by simple stimulus-response
connections
• Experiential Hierarchy
– Consumers’ hedonic motivations and moods
– Emotional contagion
– Cognitive-affective model vs. independence
hypothesis
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Product Attitudes Don’t
Tell the Whole Story
• Attitude Toward the Advertisement (Aad):
– A predisposition to respond in a favorable or
unfavorable manner to a particular advertising
stimulus during a particular exposure occasion
• Ads Have Feelings Too:
– Three emotional dimensions:
• Pleasure, arousal, and intimidation
– Specific types of feelings that can be generated by an
ad
• Upbeat feelings: Amused, delighted, playful
• Warm feelings: Affectionate, contemplative, hopeful
• Negative feelings: Critical, defiant, offended
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Ads Have Feelings Too
• Commercials evoke emotion
– Pleasure
– Arousal
– Intimidation
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Attitude Toward the Ad
• We form attitudes toward objects other
than the product that can influence our
product selections
• We often form product attitudes from its
ads
– Aad: attitude toward advertiser + evaluations of
ad execution + ad evoked mood + ad arousal
effects on consumer + viewing context
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Forming Attitudes (cont.)
• Cognitive Dissonance and Harmony among Attitudes:
– Theory of Cognitive Dissonance: When a person is
confronted with inconsistencies among attitudes or
behaviors, he or she will take action to reduce the
dissonance by changing an attitude or modifying a
behavior.
• Self-Perception Theory:
– People maintain consistency by inferring that they
must maintain a positive attitude toward a product
they have bought or consumed
• Foot-in-the-door technique:
– Sales strategy based on the observation that
consumers will comply with a request if they have first
agreed to comply with a smaller request
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Levels of Attitudinal Commitment
• By describing Cadillac as “my company,” the woman in
this ad exhibits a high level of attitudinal commitment to
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her employer.
Social Judgment Theory
• We assimilate new information about
attitude objects in light of what we already
know/feel
– Initial attitude = frame of reference
– Latitudes of acceptance and rejection
• Assimilation and contrast effects
• “Choosy mothers choose Jif peanut butter”
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Balance Theory
• Triad:
– An attitude structure consisting of three elements
• (1) A person and his/her perceptions of
• (2) an attitude object, and
• (3) some other person or object
• Unit relation:
– An element is seen as belonging to or being part of
the other
• Sentiment relation:
– Two elements are linked because one has expressed
a preference for the other
• Marketing Applications of Balance Theory
– Celebrity endorsements
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Alex
Figure 7.2: Balance Theory
Larry
Earring
+
Alex
+
Alex
+
Larry
Earring
+
Alex
+
Larry
Earring
+
+
Larry
Earring
O
Alex
Larry
Earring
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Balance Theory (Cont’d)
• Marketing Applications
– “Basking in reflected
glory”
– Unit relation with
popular product =
positive sentiment
relation in other
people’s triads
– Celebrity endorsers of
products
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Multi-attribute Attitude Model
(Fishbein)
BELIEF:
– Salient beliefs
(important
attributes)
– Strength of the
belief (product’s
score on attribute)
EVALUATION:
(attribute’s
importance to you)
ATTITUDE = SUM OF (SCORE ON ATTRIBUTE X IMPORTANCE OF7-17
ATTRIBUTE)
Multi-attribute Attitude Models
• Three elements
– Attributes of AO (e.g., college)
• e.g., Scholarly reputation
– Beliefs about AO
• e.g., University of North Carolina is strong
academically
– Importance weights
• e.g., Stressing research opportunities over
athletics
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The Theory of Reasoned Action
By Fishbein et al to improve on Multiattriube
model.
– Includes subjective norms: how other people feel
about the behavior.
– Assesses the consumer’s attitude toward the
overt behavior of purchasing the product rather
than toward the object itself.
– Uses consequences of the behavior rather than
attributes of object.
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Extended Fishbein Model
• Research: low correlation
between reported attitude and
actual behavior
– We love commercials, yet still
not buy!
• Theory of reasoned action
– Intentions vs. behavior
• Conviction and past purchase
behavior
• Behavioral intentions
– Social pressure
• SN = NB + MC
– Attitude toward act of buying
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Associative Network for
Snickers Chocolate Bar
Yummy
Fattening
Nuts
Chocolate
Give
Cavities
Dentist
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Activation at Dentist’s Office
Yummy
Fattening
Snickers Bar
Chocolate
Give
Cavities
Nuts
Dentist
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Attitude Formation
Yummy
Snickers Attitude
Fattening
Snickers Bar
Chocolate
Give
Cavities
Nuts
Dentist
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Trying to Consume
• Theory of trying
– Criterion should be trying to
reach goal
– Intervening factors between
intent and performance
– Several new components to
account for act of trying
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Theory of Trying
Figure 7.3
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Tracking Attitudes over Time
• Attitude-tracking program:
– An single-attitude survey is a snapshot in time
– A program allows researchers to analyze
attitude trends during an extended period of
time
• Ongoing Tracking Studies
– Attitude tracking involves administration of a
survey at regular intervals (e.g. Gallup Poll,
Yankelovich Monitor)
– This activity is valuable for making strategic
decisions
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