Chapter 7 Notes

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thTuesday March 13 2012 Chapter 7 AttitudesThe Power of Attitudes term attitude is widely used in popular cultureEx you might be asked what is your attitude towards abortionEx your parents might say young man I dont like your attitude for marketing purposes attitude is a lasting general evaluation of people including oneself objects such as a brand of vodka or intangible such as drunk drivers is called an attitude objectattitude is lasting because it tends to endure over time develop a negative attitude like hearing a loud noise consumers have attitudes towards very product specific behaviours such as using Crest toothpaste rather than Colgate as well as toward more general consumption related behaviours such as how a person might brush their teeth attitudes help to determine whom a person chooses to date what music heshe listens too whether heshe will recycle or discard aluminum cans and whether heshe chooses to become a consumer researcher for a livingThe Functions of Attitudes functional theory of attitudes was initially developed by psychologist Daniel Katz to explain how attitudes facilitate social behaviour according to pragmatic approach attitudes exist because they serve some function for the person that is they are determined by a persons motives consumers who expect that they will need to deal with similar information at a future time will be more likely to start forming attitudes in anticipation of this event 2 people can each have the same attitudes towards some object for very different reasons therefore helpful for a marketer to know why an attitude is held before attempting to change it following are attitudes functions identified by KatzUtilitarian Function is related to the basic principles of reward and punishment we develop some of our attitudes towards products simply on the basis of whether these products provide pleasure or painIf a person likes the taste of a cheeseburger that person will develop a positive attitude towards cheeseburger Value Expressive Function attitudes that perform a value expressive function express the consumers central values or self concept person forms a product attitude not because its objective benefits but because of what the product says about himher as a personEgoDefensive Function attitudes that are formed to protect the person either from external threats or internal feelings perform an egodefensive function Knowledge Function some attitudes are formed as the result of a need for order structure or meaning this need is often present when a person is in an ambiguous situation or is confronted with a new product an attitude can serve more than one functions but in many cases a particular one will be dominant by identifying the dominant function a product serves for consumers marketers can emphasize these benefits in their communications and packaging ads relevant to the function prompt more favourable thoughts about what is being marketed and can result in a heightened preference for both the ad and the product