Chapter 8 Attitude Change and Interactive Communications

1
Chapter 8Attitude Change and Interactive
Communications
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, 8eMichael Solomon
2
Chapter Objectives

• When you finish this chapter you should
  understand why
• The communications model identifies several
  important components for marketers when they try
  to change consumers attitudes toward products
  and services.
• The consumer who processes such a message is not
  necessarily the passive receiver of information
  marketers once believed him to be.
• Several factors influence a message sources
  effectiveness.

3
Chapter Objectives (cont.)

• The way a marketer structures his message
  determines how persuasive it will be.
• Audience characteristics help to determine
  whether the nature of the source or the message
  itself will be relatively more effective.

4
Changing Attitudes Through Communication

• Persuasion effectiveness of marketing
  communications to change attitudes
• What influences people to change their minds or
  comply

Reciprocity
Scarcity
Authority
Consistency
Liking
Consensus
5
Tactical Communications Options

• Who will be source of message?
• How should message be constructed?
• What media will transmit message?
• What target market characteristics will influence
  ads acceptance?

6
Traditional Communication Model

• Communications model a number of elements are
  necessary for communication to be achieved

Figure 8.1
7
Interactive Communications

• Consumers have many more choices available and
  greater control to process messages
• Permission marketing marketer will be much more
  successful in persuading consumers who have
  agreed to let him try

?Click to view Quicktime video on Sony
Metreons interactive entertainment store
8
Updated Communications Model

• Consumers are now proactive in communications
  process VCRs, DVRs, video-on-demand,
  pay-per-view TV, Caller ID, Internet

Figure 8.2
9
New Message Formats

• M-commerce (mobile commerce) marketers promote
  goods and services via wireless devices
• Blogging people post messages to the Web in
  diary form
• New forms of blogging
• Moblogging
• Video blogging (vlogging)
• Podcasting
• RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
• Flogs (fake blogs)
• Twittering

10
The Source

• Source effects the same words by different
  people can have very different meanings
• A sourceoften a spokesperson in an admay be
  chosen because s/he is expert, famous,
  attractive, or a typical consumer
• What makes a good source?
• Source credibility a sources perceived
  expertise, objectivity, or trustworthiness
• Source attractiveness movie star, super model

11
Sleeper Effect

• Sometimes sources become irritating or disliked
• Sleeper effect over time, disliked sources can
  still get a message across effectively
• We forget about negative source while changing
  our attitudes

12
Source Biases

• Consumer beliefs about product can be weakened by
  a source perceived to be biased
• Knowledge bias sources knowledge about a topic
  is not accurate
• Reporting bias source has required knowledge but
  sources willingness to convey it is compromised

13
Hype versus Buzz

• Buzz authentic message generated by customers
• Hype inauthentic message generated by corporate
  propaganda

Table 8.1
14
Hype versus Buzz (cont.)

• Stealth buzz building marketers create buzz by
  implying that they had nothing to do with the
  buzz
• Example Blair Witch Project

? Click for Blairwitch.com
15
Source Attractiveness

• Source attractiveness perceived social value of
  source
• Physical appearance
• Personality
• Social status
• Similarity

16
What Is Beautiful Is Good

• Halo effect people who rank high on one
  dimension are assumed to excel at other
  dimensions
• Example good-looking people are thought to be
  smarter, cooler, happier
• Physically attractive source leads to attitude
  change
• Directs attention to marketing stimuli
• Beauty source of information

17
Star Power

• Celebrities as communications sources
• Tiger Woods62 million/year in endorsements!
• Famous faces capture attention and are processed
  more efficiently by the brain
• Enhance company image and brand attitudes
• Celebrities embody cultural and product meanings
• Q-Score for celebrity endorsers
• Match-up hypothesis celebritys image and that
  of product are similar

18
Discussion

• Many marketers use celebrity endorsers to
  persuade. These spokespeople often are cool
  musicians, athletes, or stars.
• Who would overall be the most effective celebrity
  endorser today, and why?
• Who would be the least effective, and why?

19
Nonhuman Endorsers

• Often, celebrities motives are suspect as
  endorsers of mismatched products
• Thus, marketers seek alternative endorsers
• Cartoon characters
• Mascots/animals
• Avatar cyberspace character that can be moved
  around in a virtual world

20
The Message

• Positive and negative effects of elements in TV
  commercials
• Most important feature stressing unique product
  attribute/benefit

Table 8.2
21
The Message (cont.)

• Message is it conveyed in words or pictures?
• Message issues facing a marketer
• How often should message be repeated?
• Should it draw an explicit conclusion?
• Should it show both sides of argument?
• Should it explicitly compare product to
  competitors?

22
Sending the Message

• Visual versus verbal communication of message
• Visual images big emotional impact
• Verbal message high-involvement situations
• Factual information
• More effective when reinforced by a framed
  picture
• Require more frequent exposures (due to decay)

23
Dual Component of Brand Attitudes
Figure 8.3
24
Vividness

• Powerful description/graphics command attention
  and are strongly embedded in memory
• Concrete discussion of product attribute

25
Repetition and the Two-Factor Theory

• Two-factor theory fine line between familiarity
  and boredom

Figure 8.4
26
One- versus Two-Sided Arguments

• One-sided supportive arguments
• Two-sided both positive and negative information
• Refutational argument negative issue is raised,
  then dismissed
• Positive attributes should refute presented
  negative attributes
• Effective with well-educated and not-yet-loyal
  audiences

27
Comparative Advertising

• Comparative advertising message compares two
  recognizable brands on specific attributes
• Unlike McDonalds, all of Arby's chicken
  sandwiches are made with 100 all-natural
  chicken
• But, confrontational approach can result in
  source derogation
• An ad for a new product should not
• Merely, say it is better than leading brand
• Compare itself to an obviously superior competitor

28
Emotional versus Rational Appeals

• Appeal to the head or to the heart?
• Many companies use an emotional strategy when
  consumers do not find differences among brands
• Especially brands in well-established, mature
  categories (e.g., cars and greeting cards)
• Recall of ad contents tends to be better for
  thinking ads
• Although conventional ad effectiveness measures
  may not be entirely valid to assess emotional ads

29
Sex Appeals

• Sexual appeals vary by country
• Nude models generate negative feelings/tension
  among same-sex consumers
• Erotic ads draw attention, but strong sexual
  imagery may make consumers less likely to
• Buy a product (unless product is related to sex)
• Process and recall ads content

30
Discussion

• Name ads that rely on sex appeal to sell products
• What benefits are communicated in the ad?
• Is the message implicit or explicit? How?

31
Humorous Appeals

• Different cultures have different senses of humor
• Humorous ads get attention
• Theyre a source of distraction
• They inhibit counterarguing, thus increasing
  message acceptance

32
Humorous Appeals (cont.)

• Humor is more effective when it
• Doesnt swamp message of clearly defined brand
• Doesnt make fun of potential consumer
• Is appropriate to products image

33
Fear Appeals

• Emphasize negative consequences that can occur
  unless consumer changes behavior/attitude
• Fear is common in social marketing
• Most effective when
• Threat is moderate
• Solution to problem is presented
• Source is highly credible
• The strongest threats are not always the most
  persuasive

34
Message As Art Form

• Advertisers use literary elements to communicate
  benefits and meaning
• Allegory story about an abstract concept
  personified in a fictional character
• Metaphor two dissimilar objects in a close
  relationship (A is B)
• Simile compares two objects (A is like B)
• Resonance play on words with pictures

35
Examples of Advertising Resonance
Table 8.3
36
Forms of Story Presentation

• Lecture speech in which the source speaks
  directly to the audience
• Attempts to persuade
• Cognitive responses may occur

• Drama story that draws viewers into the action
• Characters indirectly address the audience
• Interact with each other in an imaginary setting

37
Discussion

• Sell the steak or the sizzle?
• Whats more important in an advertisement
• What is said? or
• Who says it?
• Give examples of ads that use one strategy versus
  the other. What types of ads are more effective
  for each strategy?

38
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) of Persuasion

• ELM assumes that once consumers receive message,
  they begin to process it

Figure 8.5
39
Support for the ELM

• Variables crucial to the ELM
• Message-processing involvement
• Argument strength
• Source characteristics
• High-involvement consumers are swayed by powerful
  arguments
• Low-involvement consumers are swayed by source
  attractiveness