1. Chapter 7 Attitudes Consumer Behavior By Michael R. Solomon
Buying, Having, and Being
Sixth Edition

2. Opening Vignette: Soccer
How do Jan and Terri differ in their attitudes toward soccer?
Jan and Nancy are both soccer fans. How are they different?
Which one of the three is the most likely target for ads promoting soccer?
Is Nancy likely to convert to become a soccer fan?

3. 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.

4. 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
Value-expressive function
Ego-defensive function
Knowledge function

5. 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 lasts.”

6. 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

7. Attitudes as ABC ATTITUDE BASED ON : affect behavior beliefs affect
cognitive
information
processing
affect
behavior
beliefs
behavioral
learning
process
affect
beliefs
behavior
hedonic
consumption
beliefs
behavior
affect

8. Three Hierarchies of Effects
Figure 7.1

9. Attitude Hierarchies The Standard Learning Hierarchy:
Consumer approaches a product decision as a problem-solving process
The Low-Involvement Hierarchy:
Consumer does not have strong initial preference
Consumer acts on limited knowledge
Consumer forms an evaluation only after product trial
The Experiential Hierarchy:
Consumers act on the basis of their emotional reactions

10. Experiential Hierarchy
Emotional Contagion:
Emotions expressed by the communicator of a marketing message affect the attitude toward the product
Cognitive-Affective Model:
Argues that an affective judgment is the last step in a series of cognitive processes
Independence Hypothesis:
Takes the position that affect and cognition involve two separate, independent systems

11. Smith and Wollensky
This ad for New York’s famous Smith & Wollensky restaurant emphasizes that marketers and others associated with a product or service are often more involved with it than are their consumers.

12. 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

13. Discussion Question
Sexually suggestive scenes like the one depicted in this ad for Union Bay clothing can generate feelings that affect brand attitudes.
What specific types of feelings or responses can this type of advertisement elicit? How will this scene affect the attitude toward the ad?

14. Forming Attitudes Not All Attitudes are Created Equal:
Levels of Commitment to an Attitude: The degree of commitment is related to the level of involvement with an attitude object
Compliance
Identification
Internalization
The Consistency Principle:
Principle of Cognitive Consistency: Consumers value harmony among their thoughts, feelings or behaviors to be consistent with other experiences

15. Levels of Attitudinal Commitment
By describing Cadillac as “my company,” the woman in this ad exhibits a high level of attitudinal commitment to her employer.

16. 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

17. Attitudinal Commitment
This ad for a magazine illustrates that consumers often distort information so that it fits with what they already believe or think they know.

18. Social Judgment Theory
People assimilate new information about Ao’s based on what they already know or feel.
Attitudes of Acceptance and Rejection: People differ in the information they find acceptable or unacceptable.
Assimilation effect: Messages that fall within the latitude of acceptance tend to be seen as more consistent with one’s position than they actually are
Contrast effect: Messages falling within the latitude of rejection tend to be seen as being farther from one’s position than they actually are

19. Balance Theory Triad: Unit relation: Sentiment relation:
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

20. Alternative Routes to Restoring Balance in a Triad
Figure 7.2

21. Discussion Question
Consumer researchers understand that consumers like to “bask in the reflected glory” of successful college athletic programs by wearing merchandise adorned with logos like the ones on the right.
How do the different attitude theories explain this consumer phenomenon?

22. Attitude Models Attitude Models: Multiattribute Models:
Specify the different elements that might work together to influence people’s evaluations of Ao’s
Multiattribute Models:
Model that assumes a consumer’s Ao will depend on the beliefs he or she has about several attributes toward the object
Multiattribute Models Specify 3 Elements:
Attributes
Beliefs
Importance Weights

23. Attitude Models Choosing products: Goal of Lifestyle Marketing:
We often choose products because of their association with a certain lifestyle.
Goal of Lifestyle Marketing:
To allow consumers to pursue their chosen ways to enjoy life and express their social identities.
Adopting Lifestyle Marketing:
Implies that we must look at patterns of behavior to understand consumers

24. The Fishbein Model (Theory of Planned Behavior)
Measures 3 components of attitude:
(1) Salient Beliefs
(2) Object-attribute linkages
(3) Evaluation
Assumptions of the Fishbein Model:
Ability to specify all relevant choice attributes
Identification, weight, and summing of attributes
Affect referral:
A process by which a consumer’s overall attitude is formed by an overall affective response

25. The Fishbein Equation Aijk = ΣβijkIik
The Basic Formula:
Aijk = ΣβijkIik
Where:
i = attribute
j = brand
k = consumer
I = the importance weight given attribute I by consumer k
β = consumer k’s belief regarding the extent to which brand j possesses attribute I
A = a particular consumer’s (k’s) attitude score for brand j

26. Multi Attribute Models: TPB
Fishbein Ajzen model (theory of planned
behaviour)
Control beliefs
Perceived behavioural
control (PC)
Behaviour Beliefs (b)
* Outcome evaluation (e)
Normative beliefs (n)
* Motivation to comply (mc)
Attitude to
Behaviour (AB)
Subjective Norm
(SN)
Behavioural
Intention (BI)
Behaviour

27. Theory of Planned Behavior
attitude to quitting smoking
0.44
intention to quit
smoking
attempts to quit
smoking
0.32
0.35
confidence about quitting smoking
0.33
previous attempts at quitting smoking
0.09
Co-efficients relating attitude, confidence and previous attempts to intention and later quitting smoking
Sutton et al 1986, in East

28. The Basic Multiattribute Model

29. Strategic Applications of the Multiattribute Model
Capitalize on Relative Advantage
Strengthen Perceived Product/Attribute Linkages
Add a New Attribute
Influence Competitors’ Ratings

30. Using Attitudes to Predict Behavior
In many cases, knowledge of a person’s attitude is not a very good predictor of behavior
Questionable link between attitude and behavior
Consumers love a commercial, but don’t buy the product
The Extended Fishbein Model
Called the Theory of Reasoned Action
Contains several important additions to the original, which improve its ability to predict behavior

31. The Theory of Reasoned Action
Intentions Versus Behavior
Social Pressure:
Subjective Norm (SN)
Normative Belief (NB): Belief that others believe an action should or should not be taken
Motivation to Comply (MC): Degree to which consumers take into account anticipated reactions
Attitude Toward Buying:
Attitude toward the act of buying (Aact):
How someone feels about buying due to the perceived consequences of a purchase

32. Obstacles to Predicting Behavior in the Theory of Reasoned Action
Model is misapplied
Other obstacles:
Model deals with actual behavior, not outcomes
Some outcomes are beyond the consumer’s control
The assumption of behavior as intentional may be invalid in some cases
Attitude measures don’t correspond to the behavior they are supposed to predict
Too large a time frame between attitude measure and behavior measure
Attitude accessibility perspective:
Behavior is a function of the person’s immediate perceptions of the Ao

33. Cultural Roadblocks to the Theory of Reasoned Action
Roadblocks that diminish the universality of the theory
Model was designed to predict voluntary acts
The relative impact of subject norms varies across cultures
The model assumes that consumers are actively thinking ahead and planning behaviors
A consumer that forms an intention claims that he or she is in control of his or her actions

34. Trying to Consume Theory of Trying to Consume
States that the criterion of behavior in the reasoned action model should be replaced with trying to reach a goal
Sample issues that might be addressed:
Past frequency
Recency
Beliefs
Evaluations of consequences
The process
Expectations of success and failure
Subjective norms toward trying

35. Theory of Trying (TT)
Figure 7.3

36. 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

37. Attitude Changes over Time
Changes to Look for over Time:
Changes in different age groups:
Attitudes change with age
Historical effects
Scenarios about the future:
Consumers tracked in terms of future plans, confidence in economy, and so on
Identification of change agents:
Social phenomena can alter people’s attitudes

38. Changing Attitudes
Percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who agree “We must take radical action to cut down on how we use our cars.”
Figure 7.4

39. Attitude Measurements
playing the National Lottery is
if I play the National Lottery I will win (belief - perceived likelihood)
winning the National Lottery is (evaluation outcome)
bad good
unlikely likely
bad good

40. Attitude Measurements
I intend to play the National Lottery next week (behavioral intention)
my friends this I should play the National Lottery (normative belief)
I do what my friend think I should do (motivation to comply)
unlikely likely
unlikely likely
unlikely likely

41. Attitude Measurements
I can play the National Lottery more easily if I understand the system (action)
I understand the system for playing the National Lottery (control)
unlikely likely
unlikely likely