The document discusses theories of attitudes and how they are formed. It describes attitudes as lasting evaluations of people, objects, or issues. Several models are presented, including the ABC model of attitudes which involves affect, behavior, and cognition. Different hierarchies of effects are discussed regarding how attitudes are formed, including standard, low-involvement, and experiential hierarchies. Theories addressed include cognitive dissonance theory and self-perception theory. Social judgment theory and balance theory also explain how people assimilate new information based on existing attitudes.

1. Attitudes
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2. The Power of Attitudes
• Attitude:
– A lasting, general evaluation of people (including
oneself), objects, advertisements, or issues
– Anything toward which one has an attitude is
called an object (Ao).
– Attitudes are lasting because they tend to endure
over time.
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3. The Functions of Attitudes
• Functional Theory of
Attitudes:
Attitudes exist
because they serve
some function for
the person (i.e.,
they are
determined by a
person’s motives)
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4. Katz’s Attitude Functions
– Katz believes there is an adjustive function of
motivation.
– He says people adjust attitudes to minimize
harm and maximize happiness.
– This serves an ego-defensive function because it
helps protect one's self respect.
Example: Toyota Car and Toyota Prado
SUV
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5. The ABC Model of Attitudes
• Affect:
– The way a consumer feels about an attitude object
• Behavior:
– Involves the person’s intentions to do something
with regard to an attitude object
• Cognition:
– The beliefs a consumer has about an attitude object
• Hierarchy of Effects:
– A fixed sequence of steps that occur en route to an
attitude
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6. Three Hierarchies of Effects
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7. Attitude Hierarchies
• The Standard Learning Hierarchy:
– Consumer approaches a product decision as a
problem-solving process
• The Low-Involvement Hierarchy:
– Consumer does not have strong initial preference
– Consumer acts on limited knowledge
– Consumer forms an evaluation only after product trial
• The Experiential Hierarchy:
– Consumers act on the basis of their emotional
reactions
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8. Experiential Hierarchy
• Emotional Contagion:
– Emotions expressed by the communicator of a
marketing message affect the attitude toward the
product
• Cognitive-Affective Model:
– Argues that an affective judgment is the last step in
a series of cognitive processes
• Independence Hypothesis:
– Takes the position that affect and cognition
involve two separate, independent systems
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9. Smith and Wollensky
• This ad for New York’s
famous Smith &
Wollensky restaurant
emphasizes that
marketers and others
associated with a
product or service are
often more involved
with it than are their
consumers.
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10. Product Attitudes Don’t
Tell the Whole Story
• Attitude Toward the Advertisement (Aad):
– A predisposition to respond in a favorable or unfavorable
manner to a particular advertising stimulus during a
particular exposure occasion
• Ads Have Feelings Too:
– Three emotional dimensions:
• Pleasure, arousal, and intimidation
– Specific types of feelings that can be generated by an ad
• Upbeat feelings: Amused, delighted, playful
• Warm feelings: Affectionate, contemplative, hopeful
• Negative feelings: Critical, defiant, offended
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11. Forming Attitudes
• Not All Attitudes are Created Equal:
– Levels of Commitment to an Attitude: The degree of
commitment is related to the level of involvement
with an attitude object
• Compliance
• Identification
• Internalization
– The Consistency Principle:
• Principle of Cognitive Consistency: Consumers value
harmony among their thoughts, feelings or behaviors
to be consistent with other experiences
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12. Levels of Attitudinal Commitment
• By describing Cadillac as “my company,” the woman
in this ad exhibits a high level of attitudinal
commitment to her employer. 7 - 12

13. Forming Attitudes (cont.)
• Cognitive Dissonance and Harmony among
Attitudes:
– Theory of Cognitive Dissonance: When a person is
confronted with inconsistencies among attitudes or
behaviors, he or she will take action to reduce the
dissonance by changing an attitude or modifying a
behavior.
• Self-Perception Theory:
– People maintain consistency by inferring that they must
maintain a positive attitude toward a product they have
bought or consumed
• Foot-in-the-door technique:
– Sales strategy based on the observation that consumers will
comply with a request if they have first agreed to comply
with a smaller request 7 - 13

14. Attitudinal Commitment
• This ad for a magazine illustrates that consumers
often distort information so that it fits with what they
already believe or think they know. 7 - 14

15. Social Judgment Theory
• Social Judgment Theory:
– People assimilate new information about Ao’s
based on what they already know or feel.
– Attitudes of Acceptance and Rejection: People
differ in the information they find acceptable or
unacceptable.
• Assimilation effect: Messages that fall within the
latitude of acceptance tend to be seen as more
consistent with one’s position than they actually are
• Contrast effect: Messages falling within the latitude of
rejection tend to be seen as being farther from one’s
position than they actually are
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16. Balance Theory
• Triad:
– An attitude structure consisting of three elements
• (1) A person and his/her perceptions of
• (2) an attitude object, and
• (3) some other person or object
• Unit relation:
– An element is seen as belonging to or being part of the
other
• Sentiment relation:
– Two elements are linked because one has expressed a
preference for the other
• Marketing Applications of Balance Theory
– Celebrity endorsements
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17. Alternative Routes to
Restoring Balance in a Triad
Figure 7.2 7 - 17