Strategies of Consumer Attitude Change

Consumer attitudes are enduring, but they are not carved in granite. Changing negative or indifferent consumer attitudes into passionate brand loyalty is one of the highest priorities of corporate marketing.

1. The Functional Approach to Attitude Change (Daniel Katz)

Marketers change attitudes by appealing to the underlying motivational functions that attitudes serve:

                         THE FOUR FUNCTIONS OF ATTITUDES
                                       │
        ┌──────────────────┬───────────┴───────────┬──────────────────┐
        ▼                  ▼                       ▼                  ▼
[ Utilitarian Func ] [ Ego-Defensive ]      [ Value-Expressive ] [ Knowledge Func ]
Showing how product  Protecting self-esteem Reflecting consumer's Providing clear
solves a practical   and avoiding social    core values & moral   educational facts
daily problem.       embarrassment.         identity.             & specifications.

1. Changing the Utilitarian Function:
   • Demonstrating that the product solves an authentic daily practical problem better than alternatives (e.g., “This stain remover gets rid of tough collar grease in just 1 wash”).
2. Changing the Ego-Defensive Function:
   • Protecting the consumer’s self-image from internal guilt or social insecurity (e.g., mouthwash and deodorant ads promising protection from bad breath or body odor during dates).
3. Changing the Value-Expressive Function:
   • Enabling consumers to express their core values, social status, and lifestyle identity (e.g., electric vehicle ads appealing to an individual’s environmental consciousness).
4. Changing the Knowledge Function:
   • Satisfying the consumer’s need for structured understanding through clear, factual comparisons (e.g., health food ads highlighting detailed protein, fiber, and sugar breakdown tables).

2. Altering Components of the Multi-Attribute Model

Marketers actively modify elements of the consumer’s mental calculation:

• Changing the Relative Evaluation of Attributes: Convincing buyers that an attribute they previously ignored is actually vital (e.g., Tata Motors convincing car buyers that 5-star crash safety is more critical than minor touchscreen features).
• Changing Brand Beliefs: Correcting false or outdated perceptions (e.g., McDonald’s launching public campaigns showing their cooking oil and fresh locally sourced Indian farm potatoes to eliminate “junk food” stigma).
• Adding a Brand-New Attribute: Introducing an innovative feature rivals do not possess (e.g., toothpaste with salt and charcoal, or water purifiers with copper enrichment).

3. Associating Products with Admired Groups or Social Causes

• Cause-Related Marketing (CRM): Linking purchases to social welfare (e.g., P&G’s “Shiksha” program donating a portion of every detergent purchase toward educating underprivileged children in India).
• Celebrity Endorsements: Transferring the admiration and trust consumers hold for sports heroes (like Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni) onto the endorsed product.

4. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

Developed by Richard Petty and John Cacioppo, the ELM explains two distinct cognitive routes through which persuasion and attitude change occur:

                                  [ PERSUASIVE MESSAGE ]
                                            │
                             Is consumer motivated & able
                             to process technical facts?
                                            │
                     ┌──────────────────────┴──────────────────────┐
                  YES│                                           NO│
                     ▼                                             ▼
          [ THE CENTRAL ROUTE ]                         [ THE PERIPHERAL ROUTE ]
          • Deep cognitive thinking                     • Low mental effort
          • Scrutinizing facts, data,                   • Swayed by catchy jingles,
            battery life, & logic.                        glamorous models, colors.
          • Result: Long-lasting,                       • Result: Superficial, temporary
            resilient attitude change!                    attitude change.

• Central Route to Persuasion: When consumer involvement is high (buying a car or health insurance), attitude change is driven by high-quality logical arguments and hard evidence.
• Peripheral Route to Persuasion: When consumer involvement is low (buying candy or soft drinks), attitude change is driven by celebrity endorsements, humor, catchy music, and attractive packaging.

5. Review & Exam Preparation Questions

1. Explain Daniel Katz’s Functional Approach to changing consumer attitudes with real-world advertising examples. (10 Marks)
2. How can a marketer use the Multi-Attribute Model to alter consumer brand preferences? (5 Marks)
3. Describe the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM). Contrast the Central Route with the Peripheral Route to persuasion. (10 Marks)