Unit 4 - Attitudes and persuasive communications

Question 1

An attitude is

Answer 1

a lasting, general evaluation of people (including oneself), objects, advertisements or issues.

Question 2

attitude object

Answer 2

anything towards which one has an attitude

Question 3

the functional theory of attitudes explains

Answer 3

how attitudes facilitate social behavior

Question 4

FUNCTIONS OF functional theory of attitudes

Answer 4

1. utilitarian function
2. eco-defensive function
3. knowledge function
4. value-expressive function

Question 5

Utilitarian function.

Answer 5

Basic principle of reward and punishment.

We develop attitudes towards products simply because they cause in us pleasure or pain.

Question 6

Value-expressive function.

Answer 6

Express the consumer’s central values of self-concept.

A person forms an attitude towards a product not because of its benefits, but because of what the product says about him/her as a person.

Question 7

Ego-defensive function.

Answer 7

Protect ourselves from external threats of internal feelings.

Question 8

Knowledge function.

Answer 8

Attitudes are formed as the result of a need for order, structure or meaning.

Question 9

The ABC Model of attitudes

Answer 9

• Affect
The way a consumer feels about an attitude object.

• Behaviour
Involves the person’s intentions to do something with regard to an attitude object.

• Cognition
Refers to the beliefs a consumer has about an attitude object.

Question 10

Hierarchy of effects:

Answer 10

this model emphasises the interrelationship between knowing, feeling and doing

Question 11

The high involvement hierarchy

Think – Feel – Do

Answer 11

• A consumer approaches a product decision as a
problem-solving process.
• The consumer forms beliefs about a product by
accumulating knowledge regarding its relevant
attributes (think).
• The consumer evaluates these beliefs and forms
a feeling about the product (feel).
• The consumer evaluates and engages in a
relevant behaviour, such as buying the product (do).

Question 12

The low-involvement hierarchy

Do – Feel – Think

Answer 12

• The consumer does not initially have a strong preference for one brand over another (do).
• But instead, he acts on the basis of limited knowledge and then forms an evaluation only after the product has been purchased or used (feel).
• The attitude is likely to come about through behavioural learning in which the consumer’s choice is reinforced by good or bad experiences with the product after purchase (think).

Question 13

The experiential hierarchy

Feel – Do – Think

Answer 13

• Consumers act on the basis of their emotional
reactions. Intangibles. (feel).
• A consumer’s overall evaluation of an attitude object is considered by many to be the core of an attitude (do).
• This perspective highlights the idea that attitudes can be strongly influenced by intangible product attributes (think).

Question 14

How attitudes are formed?

Answer 14

depending on the particular hierarchy of effects.

Question 15

Levels of commitment to an attitude

Answer 15

Consumers vary in their commitment to an attitude, and the degree of commitment is related to their level of involvement with the attitude object.

Levels of commitment:
• Compliance.
• Identification.
• Internalisation.

Question 16

Compliance:

Answer 16

Lowest level of involvement. An attitude is formed because it helps in gaining rewards or avoiding punishments from others.

Question 17

Identification.

Answer 17

It occurs when attitudes are formed to be similar to those attitudes another person or group has.

Question 18

Internalisation.

Answer 18

High level of involvement. Deep-seated attitudes are internalised and become part of the person’s value system.

Question 19

A need to maintain consistency among all of our attitudinal components

Answer 19

often motivates us to alter one or more of them.

Question 20

Principle of cognitive consistency.

Answer 20

Consumers value harmony among their thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and they are motivated to maintain uniformity among these elements.

Question 21

Cognitive dissonance

Answer 21

explains that when we do have inconsistent attitudes and behaviours, we will find some way to rectify the dissonance and bring our attitudes and behaviours back into consistency.

Question 22

Different theories to explain dissonance

Answer 22

1. Self-perception theory
2. Social judgment theory
3. Balance theory

Question 23

Self Perception Theory

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

Self-perception theory helps to explain

Answer 24

the effectiveness of a sales strategy called the foot-in-the-door technique, which is based on the observation that a consumer is more likely to comply with a request if they have first agreed to comply with a smaller request.

Question 25

Social judgement Theory

Answer 25

assumes that people assimilate new information about attitude objects in the light of what they already know or feel.

The initial attitude acts as a frame or reference, and new information is categorised in terms of this existing standard.

Question 26

People differ in terms of the information they will find acceptable or unacceptable.

Answer 26

They form latitudes of acceptance and latitudes of rejection around attitude standards.

Example: Latitudes of rejection
- Childhood Obesity is an alarming European issue. Belgium decided to ban Coca-Cola machines in Belgium’s elementary schools.

Question 27

The Balance Theory

Answer 27

It involves relations (always from the perceiver’s subjective POV) among 3 elements, so the resulting attitude structures are called triads.

Each triad contains:

1. A person and their perceptions of
2. An attitude object and
3. Some other person or object.

Question 28

The theory of reasoned action

Answer 28

aims to measure behavioural intentions, recognising that certain uncontrollable factors inhibit prediction of actual behaviour.

Question 29

Social pressure:

Answer 29

Power of other people in influencing behaviour.

Question 30

Not many time ago the only concern of brands when designing a website was aesthetics. But things have changed.
- Why?

Answer 30

1. The complexity of websites has increased.
2. Consumers access websites and applications from different devices.
3. Consumers value accessibility.
4. Consumers no longer settle for less.

Question 31

How do marketers change attitudes?

Answer 31

concepts related to changing consumer attitudes:

1. Persuasion
2. Advertising
3. Uses and Gratification theory

Question 32

Advertising:

Answer 32

The process of transferring information to the buyer before a sale.

There is a meaning of the ad based on the intentions of the sender of the message. This meaning can then be transferred to the consumer, if the message is clear enough and the medium is easy to get access to.

Question 33

Persuasion:

Answer 33

Refers to an active attempt to change attitude and is, of course, the central goal of many marketing communications.

Question 34

Uses and Gratification Theory:

Answer 34

It focuses on the reasons that drives people to consume mass media.

It tries to reply the question: what people do with the media? The main aim of this theory is understanding mass communications.

Question 35

The same words used in advertising can have different effects on different people. Depending on the source of information, the message can affect differently:

Answer 35

1. Source credibility: It refers to a source’s perceived expertise, objectivity or trustworthiness. It relates to consumer’s beliefs that a communicator is competent, and is willing to provide the necessary information to evaluate competing products adequately.
2. Source attractiveness: It refers to the source’s perceived social value. This quality can emanate from the person’s physical appearance, personality, social status, or their similarity to the receiver. Celebrities represent cultural meanings. They increase awareness of a firm’s advertising and enhance both company image and brand attitudes.