• Unit 4: Influencing Consumer Attitudes

    Attitudes are an ongoing, general evaluation of people, objects, advertisements, or issues. Once a marketer identifies a product's dominant function, they can emphasize these benefits in their communications and packaging. Attitudes have three parts: affective (feelings), behavioral (response tendencies), and cognitive (beliefs). This trio is often referred to as the ABC Model of attitudes. The purpose of the ABC model is to emphasize the interrelationships among knowing, feeling, and doing. For instance, we can only accurately determine a consumer's attitude by identifying their beliefs about a product or service. After all, even if a researcher finds that consumers know Michelob Ultra has fewer calories and carbs than most beers, those findings don't indicate whether they think these attributes are good, bad, or irrelevant. They also don't reveal whether or not the consumers would rather purchase Beck's, Bud Light, or some other beer instead.

    Consumers have more choices available today than ever before and greater control over processing messages. They are no longer dependent on the traditional communications model, where others control the source of the communication, the message received, and the medium.

    This unit covers how marketers must understand how to influence a consumer's attitude as communicated through various appeal methods.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 3 hours.

    • Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

      • explain why it's important for consumer researchers to understand the nature and power of attitudes;
      • identify how we use attitude models to identify specific components for predicting a consumer's overall attitude toward a product or brand;
      • identify how the structure of the message determines how persuasive it will be; and
      • assess why audience characteristics help to determine whether the nature of the source or the message itself will be relatively more effective.

    • 4.1: Attitudes Components

      Consumers form attitudes toward objects other than the product that can influence our product selections. Attitudes are formed from perceptions toward the advertiser, evaluations of ad execution, the mood evoked by an ad, the ad's effects on the consumer's interest, and the viewing context. The degree of commitment is related to the level of involvement with the attitude object.

      • Understanding Attitudes Page

        Marketers want to understand consumers' attitudes because attitudes tend to predict behavior. If a person has a positive attitude about a product, they are more likely to purchase and repurchase it. Read this chapter to learn the purpose of attitudes, consumer responses, and various attitude influences. Carefully review the ABCs of Attitudes and how the hierarchy of responses influences them. Think about how consumer attitudes towards different products have changed over time.

    • 4.2: Marketing Appeals

      The appeals used to change attitudes are as important as they are varied. This section will focus on three of the most popular appeals used by marketers: fear, humor, and comparative. Fear appeals attempt to change attitudes or behavior by using threats or highlighting the negative consequences of noncompliance with the request. Humor appeals can also influence attitudes; however, the message must remain focused on the brand for the communications to be successful from a marketing point of view. Comparative ads directly compare two or more brands' features or benefits.

      • Changing Attitudes Page

        Marketing is effective in changing attitudes through persuasion. There are several persuasion models, but the key to success is the trust of the communication source. Read this chapter to examine the persuasion models and the three characteristics that lead to trust: perceived authority, honesty, and likability. What advertisements have you seen that exhibit each of these trust characteristics?

      • Communication Appeals Page

    • Unit 4 Study Resources

      This review video is an excellent way to review what you've learned so far and is presented by one of the professors who created the course.

    • Unit 4 Assessment

      • Unit 4 Assessment Quiz
        Receive a grade

        Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.

        • This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
        • You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
        • You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.