CHAPTER 11
ATTITUDES AND INFLUENCING ATTITUDES
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
LO1: Define attitude and its role in consumer behavior
LO2: Summarize the three components of attitudes
LO3: Discuss attitude change strategies associated with each attitude component
LO4: Describe the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion
LO5: Describe the role of message source, appeal, and structure on attitudes
LO6: Discuss segmentation and product development applications of attitudes
SUMMARY
LO1: Define attitude and its role in consumer behavior
Attitudes can be defined as the way people think, feel, and act toward some aspect of their
LO2: Summarize the three components of attitudes
Attitudes have three components: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. The cognitive component
LO3: Discuss attitude change strategies associated with each attitude component
Attitude change strategies can focus on affect, behavior, cognition, or some combination. Attempts to
perceived ideal point for a specific attribute or for the brand concept overall.
LO4: Describe the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion
The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) is a theory about how attitudes are formed and changed
under varying conditions of involvement. The ELM suggests different communications strategies
LO5: Describe the role of message source, appeal, and structure on attitudes
Three communication characteristics are important to attitudes. They are source characteristics,
message appeal characteristics, and message structure characteristics.
In terms of source characteristics, source credibility is composed of two dimensions: trustworthiness
and expertise. Persuasion is much easier when the message source is viewed as highly credible.
Celebrities are widely used as product or company spokespersons. They are most effective when their
image matches the personality of the product and the actual or desired self-concept of the target
market.
LO6: Discuss segmentation and product development applications of attitudes
Consumer evaluations, feelings, and beliefs about specific product features form the basis for market
segmentation strategies, such as benefit segmentation, and for new-product development strategies.
LECTURE TIPS AND AIDS
1) Have students note on a piece of paper, individually, those attributes they would consider in the
purchase of a new car. Then have them specify their ideal performance for each attribute using a
5-point scale. Also, have them specify the importance of each attribute using a 100-point constant
sum scale. Collect this work and randomly select several students’ specifications and write them
on the blackboard. This exercise can then be used to accomplish the following in class discussion:
a) Illustrate how different individuals are in terms of their attitudes (i.e., differences in attributes,
ideal performance levels, and importance weights).
2) Discuss how various celebrities are selected to endorse certain products. In this discussion you
may ask students:
a) What component of attitude is most affected by these endorsements: cognitive, affective, or
behavioral?
3) Assign and/or prepare one or more of the CB PRESS HIGHLIGHTS articles for class discussion.
The searchable CB Press Highlights Database can be found in the Instructor Resources in
Connect.
4) Build a recent news story or commercial into your PowerPoints. The searchable Video and
Commercial Links Database can be found in the Instructor Resources in Connect.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1) What is an attitude?
An attitude is an enduring organization of motivational, emotional, perceptual, and cognitive
2) What are the components of an attitude?
The cognitive components of an attitude consist of an individual’s beliefs and knowledge about an
3) Are the components of an attitude consistent? What factors reduce the apparent consistency
among attitude components?
All three components of attitude tend to be consistent and reinforce a particular attitude. That is, a
4) What is a multiattribute attitude model?
5) What is attitude ambivalence?
6) What strategies can be used to change the following components of an attitude?
Affective: Various forms of classical conditioning, affect toward the ad or website (using humor,
7) What is meant by mere exposure?
The theory that simply presenting a brand to an individual on a large number of occasions might
8) What is the elaboration likelihood model (ELM)?
The ELM suggests that involvement is a key determinant of how information is processed and
involvement.
9) What strategies can consumers use to resist persuasion? Which consumers are most likely to do
so?
Loyal consumers engage in discrediting, discounting, and containment strategies to resist
persuasion from competitors. These involve the following:
a. Discredting—loyal consumers’ first strategy is to discredit negative information through
counter arguments, whereby the consumers look for weaknesses in competitor attacks.
10) What are the two characteristics of the source of a message that influence its ability to change
attitudes? Describe each.
11) What is source credibility? What causes it?
A credible source is one that the target market believes will provide accurate information.
12) Why are celebrity sources sometimes effective? What risks are associated with using a celebrity
source?
A celebrity attached to the message enhances its ability to draw one’s attention, increases message
13) Name five possible characteristics of an appeal that would influence or change attitudes. Describe
each.
14) Are fear appeals always effective in changing attitudes? Why?
Fear appeals make use of the threat of negative consequences if attitudes or behaviors are not
15) What characteristics should humorous ads have?
Though a humorous appeal may gain great attention and viewer satisfaction, to be effective,
16) Are emotional appeals effective? Why?
Emotional ads are designed to elicit a positive affective response rather than to provide
information or arguments. Emotional appeals are often effective. These types of ads may enhance
attitude formation or change by:
17) Are comparative appeals effective? Why?
Comparative ads are often more effective than noncomparative ads in generating attention,
18) What is a value-expressive appeal? A utilitarian appeal? When should each be used?
Value-expressive appeals attempt to build a personality for the product or create an image of the
19) What are the three characteristics of the message structure that influence its ability to change
attitudes? Describe each.
The three characteristics are one- versus two-sided messages, positive versus negative framing,
and the nonverbal components of the message.
20) What is meant by positive message framing and negative message framing? How does the
effectiveness of a positive versus negative frame vary depending on whether it’s a goal frame or
attribute frame?
Message framing refers to presenting one of two equivalent value outcomes either in positive or
gain terms (positive framing) or in negative or loss terms (negative framing).
21) What are the nonverbal components of an ad? What impact do they have on attitudes?
Pictures, music, surrealism, etc., are nonverbal components of ads. By arousing an emotional
22) When is a two-sided message likely to be more effective than a one-sided message?
The effectiveness of one- versus two-sided messages depends largely on the product type, the
23) How can attitudes guide new-product development?
24) What is a benefit segment?
A segment based on needs or sought benefits. Importance ratings are a way to measure what
Discussion Questions
25) Which version of the multiattribute attitude model and which attributes would you use to assess
student attitudes toward the following? Justify your answer.
a) Student health system
b) Target store
c) Hybrid automobile
d) Cats as pets
E) AMP
For each product category, the class needs to discuss which multiattribute model (beliefs only,
26) Respond to the questions in Consumer Insight 11-1.
Q1 – Affective – verbal warnings of the dangers of cigarettes; Behavioral – legal barriers to
smoking in public places; Cognitive – limits on advertising which likely have weakened the
associative network related to cigarettes and smoking over time.
27) Assume you wanted to improve or create favorable attitudes among college students toward the
following. Would you focus primarily on the affective, cognitive, or behavioral component? Why?
a) ASPCA
b) BMW motorcycles
e) Not driving after drinking
f) Using the bus for most local trips
28) Suppose you used the multiattribute attitude model and developed a fruit-based carbonated drink that
was successful in the United States. Could you use the same model in the following countries? If not,
how would it have to change?
a) India
c) Qatar
29) Suppose you wanted to form highly negative attitudes toward smoking among college students.
a) Which attitude component would you focus on? Why?
30) What communications characteristics would you use in an attempt to improve college students’
attitudes toward the following?
a) Buick
b) Levi’s
c) Volunteering at a local shelter
d) Gmail
31) Is it ethical to use fear appeals to increase demand for the following?
a) Complexion medication among teenagers
32) Name two appropriate and two inappropriate celebrity spokespersons for each of the products or
causes in Question 27. Justify your selection.
Answers will vary. It is best if you specify the target audience (college students works well
33) What benefit segments do you think exist for the following?
a) Crossroads Guitar Festival
b) NASCAR