Attitudes & Persuasion

• Attitudes are lasting, general evaluations of people, objects, advertisements, or issues, guiding behavior through persuasion.
• Attitude Object (AO) refers to what the consumer has an attitude towards.

Persuasion and Attitude Formation

• Persuasion is the process of forming or changing someone’s attitude.
• Attitudes consist of cognitions and emotions, typically positive or negative, and include explicit and implicit elements.

Cognitive Focus

• Multiattribute Models propose that attitudes toward an AO depend on the beliefs about several of its attributes.
• The Martin Fishbein Model measures attitudes based on attributes, beliefs, and importance weights.
• Attributes are characteristics of the AO.
• Beliefs are perceptions of the extent to which a brand possesses a particular attribute.
• Importance Weights indicate the relative priority of an attribute to the consumer.
• Ao is calculated by summing the product of belief and importance (B*I).

Strategic Implications of the Multiattribute Model

• Capitalize on an advantage if a brand excels in a key attribute.
• Strengthen perceived product/attribute linkages if a brand is weak on a specific attribute.
• Add a new attribute to make the brand distinctive.
• Influence competitor’s ratings through comparative advertising.

Affective Focus

• Moods are temporary positive or negative affective states that can shape judgments.
• Mood congruency means positive moods lead to positive evaluations, and negative moods lead to negative evaluations.
• Advertisers may evoke negative moods to highlight a problem and then offer a solution.
• Negative state relief suggests helping others improves one's mood.
• Sadvertising uses inspirational stories to generate emotional responses and empathy.
• Oxytocin and cortisol affect care and empathy levels.

Complexity of Attitudes

• Attitudes don't always predictably lead to behavior.
• Ambivalence refers to mixed feelings (liking and disliking) toward an AO.
• Explicit attitudes are those we are aware of, while implicit attitudes are not but can still influence behavior.
• Social pressure and normative influences affect behavior.

Theory of Reasoned Action

• The Theory of Reasoned Action includes social pressure, incorporating subjective norms.
• Normative belief intensity and motivation to comply with others' beliefs are key.

Consistency and Cognitive Dissonance

• The Principle of Consistency states consumers desire consistency between attitudes and behaviors.
• Cognitive Dissonance arises from an imbalance in attitudes or behaviors, causing psychological discomfort.
• Options to reduce dissonance include changing attitudes, ceasing conflicting behavior, or adding new beliefs.
• Post-purchase dissonance (buyer’s remorse) is common after high-involvement decisions, especially with close substitutes.
• Consumers may increase their evaluation of the purchased product post-purchase.
• They may also seek ads supporting their decision or sell the product’s positive features to friends.

Balance Theory

• Balance Theory considers relationships between a person, their perceptions, another person, and an attitude object.
• People desire balanced relations, agreeing with those they like and disagreeing with those they dislike.
• Imbalance can be resolved by changing opinions or convincing others to change theirs.

Persuasion

• Persuasion attempts to change attitudes actively.
• The Persuasion Knowledge Model suggests consumers are aware of persuasion attempts, which impacts their attitudes and behaviors.
• Consumers may view persuasive attempts unfavorably and counter-argue.
• Permission marketing involves consumers agreeing to listen, increasing the impact of persuasion.

Source Characteristics: Credibility

• Credibility is the source’s perceived expertise, objectivity, and trustworthiness.
• It's enhanced if the source's qualifications are relevant.
• Sources should avoid knowledge bias (inaccurate knowledge) and reporting bias (unwillingness to give accurate information).

Source Characteristics: Attractiveness

• Source Attractiveness is a source’s perceived social value.
• The Halo Effect means positive attributes are assumed to correlate.
• Celebrity endorsements can increase liking of a product.
• Consumer voices (word of mouth) are highly impactful and persuasive.

Message Development

• Visuals influence emotions (Type 1 processing), while verbal information influences cognition (Type 2 processing).
• Verbal material decays faster in memory, requiring more exposure.

Message Repetition

• The Two-Factor Theory suggests a balance is needed between familiarity and boredom in message repetition.

Constructing Arguments: Fear Appeals

• Fear Appeals use threats of negative consequences if attitudes or behaviors are not altered.
• Effective fear appeals have a moderate threat and present a solution.

Constructing Arguments: Humor

• Humor captures attention and inhibits counter-argument through distraction.
• It must be appropriate for the product category and well-integrated into the message.

Constructing Arguments: Sex Appeal

• Sex and nudity increase attention but can lower brand recall and interfere with message comprehension.
• Should relate to the product.

One-Sided vs. Two-Sided Approaches

• One-sided approaches present only supportive arguments.
• Two-sided refutational approaches present positives and negatives, dismissing the negatives.
• One-sided is best for loyal, uneducated audiences; two-sided for undecided or critical, educated audiences.
• Two-sided ads can increase source credibility and reduce reporting bias.

Comparative Advertising

• Comparative Advertising compares a brand with competitors.
• It is best for newer or underdog products.
• It can increase source derogation.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

• Peripheral Route (Fast): uses attractive sources, quantity of arguments, and visual appeal.
• Central Route (Slow): uses credible sources, argument quality, and message characteristics.

Functional Theory of Attitudes

• The Functional Theory of Attitudes holds that attitudes exist because they serve a function for the person.
• The Utilitarian Function means people develop attitudes toward products for pleasure or pain.
• The Value-expressive function relates attitudes to self-concept or central values.
• The Ego-defensive function forms attitudes to protect from external threats or internal feelings.
• The Knowledge function applies when in ambiguous situations or confronting a new product.

Attitude-Behavior Link

• The attitude-behavior link depends on attitude commitment and social context, including norms and social pressure.

Slow-Thinking vs. Fast-Thinking

• Slow-thinking (Type 1) is deliberate and analytical.
• Fast-thinking (Type 2) is fast, autonomous, and intuitive.

Fishbein Model Formula

• The Fishbein Model formula is Ajk = sum of ßijk Iik, where i = attribute, j = brand, k = consumer, I = importance weight, and ß = consumer's beliefs.

Neuromarketing

• Neuromarketing uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study brain responses to marketing messages and product design.

Attitude Factors

• Attitudes are impacted by ambivalence and valence.
• Explicit attitudes are conscious, while implicit attitudes occur outside of awareness.
• Social Desirability Bias involves reporting socially acceptable attitudes while concealing real feelings.

Medication Adherence

• Medication adherence is the extent to which people fill and take prescribed medications.

Three Levels of Commitment

• Compliance: forming an attitude to gain rewards or avoid punishment.
• Identification: forming an attitude to conform to expectations.
• Internalization: deep-seated attitudes become part of our value system.