ADV Ch. 8 Attitude

The four theories of attitudes (functionalism, cognitive dissonance, self-perception, balance)

Functionalist (Katz) • Cognitive Dissonance o Principle of cognitive consistency o We value/seek harmony among thoughts, feelings, and behaviors o Conflict motivates us to reduce dissonance o We change our minds (eliminate), seek new information (add), or change elements. o Cognitive dissonance- how we avoid dissonance that can be created in situations o Conflicting thoughts means you have cognitive dissonance o Reducing dissonance is changing your mind so there is no conflict, or seek new information to resolve the dissonance • Self- Perception Theory o Daryl Bem says we infer our attitudes from our behavior. o Proposed as an alternate to cog diss theory's focus on dissonance. o Not driven by tension, behavior just serves an informative purpose. o We calmly observe our behavior, and draw reasonable inferences from it, just as we do when observing other people. o I was so rude to him - I must not like him. o I always buy black clothes - I must like black a lot. o There is another explanation to the theory of cognitive dissonance. Self-perception theory assumes that we observe our own behavior to determine just what our attitudes are. We infer the attitude from our behavior. This theory helps to explain the effectiveness of sales strategies such as the foot-in-the door technique. Such sales techniques are noted in the slide. • Balance Theory o Fritz Heider originated Balance Theory to show how people develop their relationships with people and with things in their environment. o Triad attitude structures: o Person o Perception of attitude object o Perception of other person/object o Balance theory considers how a person perceives relations among different attitude objects, and how he alters his attitudes so that these remain consistent (or "balanced"). This perspective involves relations among three elements, so we call the resulting attitude structures triads. Each triad contains (1) a person and his perceptions of (2) an attitude object, and (3) some other person or object. The theory specifies that we want relations among elements in a triad to be harmonious. If they are unbalanced, this creates tension that we are motivated to reduce by changing our perceptions in order to restore balance.

Communication models

newer, interactive model older, linear model- specifies the element they need to control in order to communicate with their customers

Standard Learning (high involvement)

o Cognitive Stage: awareness, knowledge o Affective Stage: liking, preference, conviction o Behaviour Stage: purchase o Aware of the attitude object, beginning to form an attitude • Affective: starting to act on it • Behavior: make the purchase

Experiential

o Experiential Hierarchy (Feel-Do-Think) • Leads with moods - Affect • Emotional contagion • Hedonic consumption o Someone else talking about something positively can rub off on you if there is a lower involvement

Value-expressive

o Express basic values, reinforce self-image. o We cultivate attitudes that we believe indicate our core values.

Hierarchy models: Standard Learning (Think-Feel-Do)

o Happens when we are involved and motivated o Think first, then feel, then do o Results in strong brand loyalty o Note this is high involvement

Low-involvement

o Low-Involvement Hierarchy o Do-Feel-Think o Behavioral learning process o Consumer does NOT have a strong brand preference o Consumer can be swayed by simple stimulus response options • Not a high stakes decision • Doesn't matter a whole lot • Ex. Deodorant, toilet paper, paper towels • If you form an attitude about an item you will either like it or not. • These attitudes can shift pretty easily

Ego-Defensive

o Some attitudes serve to protect us from acknowledging basic truths about ourselves or the harsh realities of life. o They serve as defense mechanisms.

Knowledge

o We crave order, clarity, and stability in our schemas o Attitudes help supply us with standards of evaluation. o Via such attitudes, we can bring order and clarity to the complexities of human life.

functionalist theory: utilitarian and instrumental

o We develop favorable att to things that aid or reward us. o We desire to maximize rewards and minimize penalties - and develop attitudes that help. o We are more likely to change attitudes if doing so allows us to fulfill goals or avoid bad consequences.

ABC Model

• Affective o Feelings or emotions that something evokes. e.g. fear, sympathy, hate. • Behavioral o Disposition to act in certain ways toward something. Emphasis is on the tendency to act, not the actual acting; what we intend and what we do may be quite different. • Cognitive o Thoughts, beliefs, and ideas about something. • Our ideas can be explained simply, but they are actually more complex because of these components

Attitude object

• Attitude object (A0): anything toward which one has an attitude o Examples: fish sticks, voting, zac efron, University of texas, sketchers, nike shorts, teacher

Attitude

• Attitude: a lasting evaluation of people, objects, advertisements, or issues o An inclination to respond to something either favorably or unfavorably o We use the term attitude in many contexts. Attitudes are general evaluations of people, objects, or issues that tend to last. They also tend to be predictive of behavior and to endure over time. Anything toward which one has an attitude is known as an attitude object.

Katz functionalist theory

• Daniel Katz's Functionalist theory • Attitudes are determined by the functions they serve. • People hold given attitudes to help achieve basic goals. • Katz distinguishes four types of functions (next slide). o All this is to say that people can arrive at attitudes via very different routes o We form these attitudes based on the commitment • Why do attitudes change (according to this theory)? o When they no longer serve their function. • For example: Changes in social status sometimes lead to changes in attitudes towards your old car, the location of your apartment, your favorite store, etc. • You feel a need for things that better serve your new status. • Daniel Katz developed the functional theory of attitudes to explain how attitudes facilitate social behavior. This theory suggests that attitudes exist because they serve some function for the person. Two people can have an attitude toward some object for very different reasons.

Bem and self-perception

• Daryl Bem says we infer our attitudes from our behavior. • Proposed as an alternate to cog diss theory's focus on dissonance. • Not driven by tension, behavior just serves an informative purpose. • We calmly observe our behavior, and draw reasonable inferences from it, just as we do when observing other people. • I was so rude to him - I must not like him. • I always buy black clothes - I must like black a lot. • There is another explanation to the theory of cognitive dissonance. Self-perception theory assumes that we observe our own behavior to determine just what our attitudes are. We infer the attitude from our behavior. This theory helps to explain the effectiveness of sales strategies such as the foot-in-the door technique. Such sales techniques are noted in the slide.

Foot in the door video: Self Perception Theory

• Foot in the door - if we get them to do something small, we can get them to do more...("I've already done this, I may as well...") • There is another explanation to the theory of cognitive dissonance. Self-perception theory assumes that we observe our own behavior to determine just what our attitudes are. We infer the attitude from our behavior. This theory helps to explain the effectiveness of sales strategies such as the foot-in-the door technique. Such sales techniques are noted in the slide. • Trying to get phone numbers, Handshaking, Nose touching, Clapping, Hopping on One Foot, Spinning Around, Hair Touching, Pictures, Asking for Numbers, at the end they got rejected when they just asked for numbers alone

Heider and balance

• Fritz Heider originated Balance Theory to show how people develop their relationships with people and with things in their environment. • Triad attitude structures: • Person • Perception of attitude object • Perception of other person/object • Balance theory considers how a person perceives relations among different attitude objects, and how he alters his attitudes so that these remain consistent (or "balanced"). This perspective involves relations among three elements, so we call the resulting attitude structures triads. Each triad contains (1) a person and his perceptions of (2) an attitude object, and (3) some other person or object. The theory specifies that we want relations among elements in a triad to be harmonious. If they are unbalanced, this creates tension that we are motivated to reduce by changing our perceptions in order to restore balance.

Dissonance and Fur ad from lecture

• Here is a message that offers new information about fur...as you view it, think about the cognitive dissonance this campaign is seeking to alleviate. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FlRnbA3Qcc • Cognitive Dissonance: many believe wearing fur is unethical • Video: Canadian Fur Council • Fur is green... • Fur is a long lasting product, frivolous • Fur trade: wild fur, 3 million animals • They are trying to resolve cognitive dissonance for people who are on the fence about fur, only people who have dissonance

ELM and route to persuasion (book and lecture)

• How do we get from information exposure to persuasion? o The elaboration likelihood model (elm) o There are two ways we can process information and hence get persuaded (System 1 and system 2 thinking) • Elm o When motivated and able to pay attention, our information processing follows the central route in decision-making. • This involves logical, conscious thinking and careful consideration. • We carefully consider the message content. • We elaborate on the message with existing knowledge, integrate it into schemas. • Impacted by perceived relevance. • This can lead to permanent change in our attitude. o When unmotivated or overtaxed, we follow the peripheral route. • Less focused on careful evaluation of message, more on cues and heuristics. • Here we focus on surface characteristics such as whether we like the speaker, packaging, colors, music, etc. • If this leads to change, it is only temporary (although for a short time we are more susceptible to further change than before). o Chart: motivated, able, initial cues, allocation of resources, & result o The elaboration likelihood model, known as the ELM, assumes that under conditions of high involvement, we will take the central route to persuasion, but under conditions of low involvement, we will take a peripheral route. The central route is focused on the consumer's cognitive response to the message. The peripheral route focuses on other cues to decide how to react to the message. o Shows how people might move through the process

Attitude commitment

• Internalization o Highest level of involvement, commitment, These attitudes are part of consumer's value system; hardest to change • Identification o Mid-level involvement, commitment, Attitudes formed to conform to another person or group • Compliance o Lowest level involvement, commitment, Attitude is formed to gain reward or avoid punishment o If we think about politicians "flip-flopping" attitudes... • Consumers vary in their commitment to an attitude. Their degree of commitment relates to their level of involvement with the attitude object. The lowest level is compliance. At the compliance level, we form an attitude because it helps us gain rewards or avoid punishment. At the identification level, we form an attitude to conform to another person's or group's expectations. At the highest level of involvement, called internalization, our attitudes become a deep part of our value system. At this level, attitudes are difficult to change because they are important to us. This determines how solid your opinion is, harder time persuading those with strong attitudes.

Sex Pistols, Sean John, Cough Syrup

• Johnny Rotten aka John Lydon • Lead singer for Sex Pistols, late 70s punk in UK emphasizing anti-establishment, anti-nationalism • Then: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z2M_hpoPwk • Now: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mSE-Iy_tFY • Who are they trying to reach and with what message? • Then: super negative, towards royalty • Now: Anti culture message not about culture but about good butter • Trying to reach fans from way back, same guy but now just like us • Cough syrup: performance, take him to a religious leader to get a name for their child, high name is (ugh ugh/coughing noise)

Anarchy ad (graphic novel), why didn't it pan out?

• Looking for a high level of engagement here with a specific audience. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttnPGpDu3xg • Didn't pan out as they planned. • Maybe because this is who they are dealing with: • http://www.theaxeeffect.com/responsibleuse.html • AXE (anarchy) video: trying to engage a specific audience • Big investment in hopes of their brand loyalty to be strong • Trying to build product involvement, video too specific • First time users of deodorant

Fishbein's models, including reasoned action, social pressure example video re: smoking

• Multi-attribute Attitude Models o Fishbein is the most influential o Three elements to the model o Attributes of AO (e.g., university) o e.g., Scholarly reputation o Beliefs about AO o e.g., University of Texas is strong academically o Importance weights, evaluation o e.g., Academics are important to me, UT stresses research opportunities for undergrads • Marketing applications o Capitalize on relative advantage • Highlight what you are perceived as good at • Strengthen perceived product/attribute linkages o Build awareness of little known attributes • Add a new attribute o Create awareness of unknown or create something new • Influence competitors' ratings o Emphasize a more positive frame, comparison • Research revealed: low correlation between reported attitude and actual behavior o We love commercials, yet still don't buy! • Theory of reasoned action o Looked at intentions (behavior hard to predict) o Social pressure • SN = Normative Belief + Motivation to Comply - people expect me to...(see linked smoking ad) • Attitude toward act of buying • Subjective norms, normative beliefs- expected to do it, motivation to comply(someone you haven't seen in a while is not a big likelihood) • AD: To get people to stop smoking • Dad getting a smoke before getting on the plane

Persuasion and compliance

• Persuasion - it is the attempt to change attitudes - often in hopes of changing or encouraging behavior • Compliance - belief that we form an attitude because it helps us to gain rewards or avoid punishment How do marketers persuade? • Reciprocity o We give more when we receive • Free samples, free gifts • Scarcity o Limited availability increases desire • Limited editions, "sold out" • Authority o Experts • Consistency o We like to be consistent with ourselves • Liking o We agree with those we like • Consensus o We like to be consistent with others • Marketers try to persuade consumers and these persuasion attempts are based on basic psychological principles. There are six approaches to persuasion, as shown in the slide. • Reciprocity means that we are more likely to give if we first receive. • Scarcity means that people tend to find things that are not readily available more desirable. • Authority means that we tend to believe authoritative sources. • Consistency means that we try not to contradict what we've said before. • Liking means that we will agree with those we like or admire. • Consensus means that we will consider what others do before we decide what to do.

Source, source characteristics, source examples including

• Should consider credibility, social risk, or whether the message has performance risk • What makes a good source? o Credibility: expertise, objectivity or trustworthiness o Attractiveness: likeability, social value • When deciding which to focus on, consider if a product poses more social risk or more performance risk. • Black identity in fashion (social risk): https://www.youtube.com/user/seanjohn • Cough syrup (performance): • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md-wY2yoF9Q • The source is the perceived source of the message. It may be perceived as the person or people shown in the ad. Credibility and attractiveness are desirable source components. Source attractiveness refers to the perceived social value the message receivers associate with the source. It is related to appearance, personality, social status, and similarity to the receiver. • Black identity in fashion (social risk): Dream Bag- Sean John, Howard University, ivy league school difference between dreams and reality is intimidating • Risking other perception, he graduated in 26 years, be fearless, be you, when you are in the darkness you will make light of the power of you • Narrative about personal struggle, aligning fashion with high achievers who see power in achieving their dreams • Social justice imagery • Cough Syrup (performance): take him to a religious leader to get a name for their child, high name is (ugh ugh/ coughing noise) • The the kid is named glycodin • Performance risk: there is a lot of risk in trying to supress cough

Two Factor Theory

• Should we use pictures or words? • Pics can capture emotion more quickly, require less resources to process • But words can explain • Together they can achieve both • How often should a message be repeated? • There are so many decisions to make about how we say what it is that we want to say. The questions listed are some of the decisions marketers must make about messages. • Two Factor Theory: the perspective that two separate psychological processes are operating when a person is repeatedly exposed to an ad; repetition increases familiarity and thus reduces uncertainty about the product, but over time boredom increases with each exposure, and at some point the amount of boredom incurred begins to exceed the amount of uncertainty reduced, resulting in wear-out. • Positive Learning factor- repetition leads to learning • Negative Tedium Factor- are annoyed by message • Net Effect- enough repetition, check in with audiences to see when to stop