Marketers in their strategy attempt to change consumer attitude before the purchase. This is done to induce consumers to try a certain brands. Marketers may try to change attitudes after the consumer has made a purchase in other to counter or change dissonant information about the brand and to minimize any negative experiences.
MULTIATTRIBUTE MODELS AND ATTITUDE CHANGE
Four strategies can be used to influence behaviour based on the multi attribute models.
1) Change the direction and or intensity of needs: This strategy requires convincing consumers to reassess the value of a particular attribute.
2) Change beliefs: This strategy tries to change the belief about brands through product and advertising strategies.
3) Change brand evaluation: The marketer also try to influence brand preference directly without any reference to produce attribute. This short cut strategy may involve associating positive mode with product usage.
4) Change intention to buy or behave: This strategy tries to induce a consumer to purchase a brand, which is not preferred. The assumption here is that some inducement to try a brand that is not preferred (possibly by lowering the price or by offering a deal or a coupon) may change consumer attitude to conform to behaviour.
FUNCTIONAL THEORY AND ATTITUDE CHANGE
As discussed before there are four functions served by attitudes: a utilitarian function, a knowledge function, a value expressive function, and an ego defensive function. Marketing strategies can attempt to change attitudes serving each of these functions.
1) Changing attitude through utilitarian function: One way of influencing a positive change to brand attitudes is to show that the product can solve a utilitarian goal the consumer may not have previously considered.
2) Changing attitudes through the knowledge function: The knowledge function organizes and classifies information,thus facilitating the consumer's information processing task. It is important for marketers to provide a clear and unambiguous positioning for their products to ensure favourable attitudes.
3) Changing attitudes through the value expressive function: Advertising that attempt to influence the value expressive function may confront deep seated values that are difficult to change. Where this is the case,advertising should accept deep seated values rather than try to change them.
4) Changing attitude through the ego defensive function: It has been shown several times through research that the more ego defensive the attitude is,the less subject it is to outside influence. Based on this fact, advertising should accept and adapt to ego defensive attitudes rather than try to change them.
