Attitudes & Intentions 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 Consumer decision making Knowledge, meanings and beliefs Integration Attitudes and intentions Behavior

Variations in Level of Attitude Concept Levels of attitude concept Example – Fast Food Product class Fast-food restaurants Product form Pizza restaurants Hamburger restaurants Brand McDonald’s Burger King Model Elgin McDonald’s McDonald’s at the Galleria Brand/model/ general situation Lunch mostly alone Dinner with kids and family Eating lunch with to get a quick bite between classes Eating dinner with kids at the Galleria while shopping Brand/model/ specific situation

Variations in Level of Attitude Concept Levels of attitude concept Example -- Coffee Product class Coffee Product form Instant Fresh Ground Filtered Brand Taster’s Choice Starbucks Model Gourmet Roast 100% Colombian Brand/model/ general situation At home Away from home Usually on a whim, often unplanned. “Sugar in the Raw” a must. Brand/model/ specific situation After lunch alone, watching TV, or with friends on weekends

Bristol Myers Squibb has built considerable brand equity – the overall evaluation of a brand in the market place. Brand equity = Reluctance to substitute Repeat purchase Differential demand elasticity (?)

Salient beliefs and Attitude All beliefs about Crest Salient 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 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 mint flavor Has fluoride Comes in a gel Crest Comes in a pump Has a tartar-control formula

Salient beliefs and Attitude Freshens breath Has mint flavor Tastes good Prevents cavities Has fluoride 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 No mess Is what my parents use Has a tartar-control formula Comes in tubes Is more expensive than store brands Gets teeth clean

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 All natural ingredients No caffeine b1 = 10 e1 = +3 b2 = 5 7up All natural ingredients e2 = +1 b3 = 8 Ao = 27 Lemon-lime flavor e3 = -1

Multi-attribute Attitude Model No calories b1 = 6 e1 = +2 Diet Pepsi b2 = 6 Caffeine e2 = -3 b3 = 10 Ao = 4 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 Behaviors toward 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 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 Attitude toward Pizza Hut Ao Feedback

The Theory of Reasoned Action Beliefs that behavior B leads to salient consequences Attitude toward behavior B Aact Evaluation of salient consequences Intention to perform behavior B Relative weighting for importance Behavior B Beliefs that relevant others think I should perform the behavior B Subjective norm about behavior B SN Motivation to comply with relevant others

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