354 Final Flashcards
Functional Theory of attitudes: utilitarian function
The utilitarian function is related to the basic principles of reward and punishment. We develop some of our attitudes toward products sim- ply on the basis of whether these products provide pleasure or pain. If a person likes the taste of a cheeseburger, that person will develop a positive attitude toward cheeseburgers. Ads that stress straightforward product benefits (e.g., you should drink Diet Coke “just for the taste of it”) appeal to the utilitarian function.
Functional Theory of attitudes: Value expressive function
Attitudes that perform a value-expressive function express the consumer’s self-concept (Chapter 5) or central values (Chapter 6). A person forms a product attitude not because of its objective benefits, but because of what the product says about him or her as a person (“What sort of man rides a Harley?”). Value-expressive attitudes are highly relevant to lifestyle analyses, in which consumers cultivate a cluster of activities, interests, and opinions to express a particular social identity. .
Functional theory of attitudes: ego defensive function
Attitudes that are formed to protect the person, either from external threats or internal feelings, perform an ego-defensive function. Products that promise to help a man project a rugged, manly image may be appeal- ing to his insecurities about his masculinity. Another example is deodorant ads that stress the dire, embarrassing consequences of being caught with underarm odour in public.
Functional theory of attitudes: knowledge function
Some attitudes are formed as the result of a need for order, structure, or meaning. This function applies when a person is in an ambigu- ous situation (“It’s okay to wear casual pants to work, but only on Friday”) or when he or she confronts a new product (e.g., “Bayer wants you to know about pain relievers”).
ABC Models of attitudes: Affect
refers to the way a consumer feels about an attitude object.
ABC Models of Attitudes: Behaviour
or conation, involves the person’s intentions to do something with regard to an attitude object (but, as will be discussed later, an intention does not always result in an actual behaviour).
ABC Models of Attitudes: Cognition
refers to the beliefs a consumer has about an attitude object.
Hierarchies of effects
Although all three components of an attitude are important, their relative importance will vary according to a consumer’s level of motivation with regard to the attitude object. Attitude researchers have developed the concept of a hierarchy of effects to explain the relative impact of the three components. Each hierarchy specifies that a fixed sequence of steps occurs en route to an attitude.
The high involvement hierarchy
When highly involved, a consumer approaches a product decision as a problem-solving process. First, he or she forms beliefs about a product by accumulating knowledge (beliefs) regarding relevant attributes. Next, the consumer evaluates these beliefs and forms a feeling about the product (affect). Finally, on the basis of this evaluation, the consumer engages in a relevant behaviour, such as buying the product.
The low involvement hierarchy
In sharp contrast to high involvement, under low involvement interest in the attitude object is at best lukewarm. The consumer has collected only a minimal amount of information before acting and has an emotional response only after consuming the product. This is typical of a consumer who forms an attitude via the low-involvement hierarchy of effects. In this sequence, the consumer initially does not have a strong preference for one brand over another; he or she instead acts on the basis of limited knowledge and then forms an evaluation only after the fact.8 The attitude is likely to come about through behavioural learning, in which the consumer’s choice is rein- forced by good or bad experiences with the product after purchase.
Attitude towards the advertisement
is defined as a predisposition to respond in a favourable or unfavourable manner to a particular advertising stimulus during a particular exposure occasion. Determinants of Aad include the viewer’s attitude toward the advertiser, evaluations of the ad execution itself, the mood evoked by the ad, and the degree to which the ad affects viewers’ arousal levels.
Cognitive Dissonance
states that when a person is confronted with inconsistencies among his or her own attitudes or behaviours, he or she will take some action to resolve this unpleasant psychological state, or “dissonance.” The theory pro- poses that people are motivated to reduce the negative feelings caused by dissonance by making things fit with one another.
Self Perception Theory
provides an alternative expla- nation of dissonance effects.27 It assumes that people use observations of their own behaviour to determine what their attitudes are, just as we assume that we know the attitudes of others by watching what they do.
Social judgement theory
also assumes that people assimi- late new information about attitude objects in light of what they already know or feel.31 The initial attitude acts as a frame of reference, and new information is catego- rized in terms of this existing standard. Just as our decision that a box is heavy depends in part on other boxes we have lifted, we develop a subjective standard when making judgments about attitude objects.
Balance theory
considers relations among elements that a person might perceive as belonging together.34 This perspective involves relations (always from the perceiver’s subjective point of view) among three elements, so the resulting attitude structures are called triads. Each triad contains (1) a person and his or her perceptions of (2) an attitude object and (3) some other person or object.
Fishbein Model ESSAY
The most influential multi-attribute model is called the Fishbein model, named after its primary developer.37 The model measures three components of attitude:
1. Salient beliefs people have about an Ao (those beliefs about the object that are considered during evaluation)
2. Object-attribute linkages, or the probability that a particular object has an impor- tant attribute
3. Evaluation of each of the important attributes
Fishbein continued
. It assumes that we have been able to adequately specify all the relevant attributes that, for example, a student will use to evaluate his or her choice about which university to attend. The model also assumes that he or she will go through the process (formally or informally) of identifying a set of relevant attributes, weighing them and summing them. Although this particular decision is likely to be highly involving, it is still possible that the student’s attitude will instead be formed by an overall affective response (a process known as affect-referral).
By combining these three elements, a consumer’s overall attitude toward an object can be computed.
Applications of the multi-attribute model
CAPItALIZE On RELAtIVE ADVAntAGE If one’s brand is viewed as being superior on a particular attribute, consumers such as Narveen need to be convinced that this partic- ular attribute is an important one. For example, although Narveen rates fresh produce highly, he does not believe this attribute is a valued aspect for some grocery stores. As Loblaws’s marketing director, you might emphasize the importance of fruits and veg- etables in a healthy balanced diet.
stREnGthEn PERCEIVED PRODUCt–AttRIBUtE LInKs A marketer may discover that consumers do not equate his or her brand with a certain attribute. This problem is commonly addressed by campaigns that stress the product’s qualities to consumers (e.g., “new and improved ingredients”). Narveen apparently does not think much of Loblaws’s deli. You might develop an information campaign to improve these percep- tions (such as “little-known facts about Loblaws’s deli”).
ADD A nEW AttRIBUtE Product marketers frequently try to create a position distinct from those of their competitors by adding a product feature. Loblaws might try to emphasize some unique aspect, such as an online order system for busy people who do not like to grocery shop.
InFLUEnCE COMPEtItORs’ RAtInGs Finally, you might try to decrease the positivity of competitors. This type of action is the rationale for a strategy of comparative adver- tising. One tactic might be to publish an ad that lists the attributes on which Loblaws
Consumer Interactivity
Consumers who are highly involved with a product and who want to share their opinions with manufacturers are an invaluable (and often free) form of input that can shape marketing decisions in important ways. When the consumer interacts with the marketer to influence the product
Real time marketing
Real-time marketing involves marketing activities that leverage up-to-date and currently occurring events. Often real-time marketing takes advantage of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat because these allow for quick and interactive communications with consumers.
Martydom effect
people tend to donate more money when they have to suffer a bit for the cause; ALS ice bucket challenge
Levels of interactive response
First-order response: Direct-marketing vehicles such as online display ads, Web catalogues, and TV infomercials are interactive; if successful, they result in an order, which is most definitely a response! So let’s think of a product offer that directly yields a transaction as a first-order response. In addition to providing revenue, sales data are a valuable source of feedback that allows marketers to gauge the effectiveness of their communications efforts.
* Second-order response: A marketing communication does not have to immedi- ately result in a purchase to be an important component of interactive marketing. Messages can prompt useful responses from customers, even though these recipi- ents do not necessarily place an order immediately after being exposed to the communication. Customer feedback in response to a marketing message that is not in the form of a transaction is a second-order response. For example, one key metric that marketers are becoming increasingly interested in is social media responses to their brands.
Persuasion Knowledge Model PKM
suggests that consumers develop knowledge about persuasion and use this knowledge to “cope” with or deal with persuasive attempts.10 This model views the exchange between the consumer and the persuasion agent as a two-way interaction, in which both the consumer and the agent have their own goals. The model also suggests that the target (i.e., the consumer) has three types of knowledge: topic knowledge (specific knowledge related to the issue at hand), agent knowledge (knowledge about the source of the persuasion), and persuasion knowledge (knowledge about the persuasive tactics and techniques being used).
Source Credibility
refers to a communicator’s expertise, objectivity, or trustworthy- ness. This dimension relates to consumers’ beliefs that this person is competent and will provide the necessary information we need when we evaluate competing products.
