- Changing the consumers’ basic motivation function
This technique makes particular needs prominent. One method for changing a consumer’s motivation is known as the functional approach this approach states that the consumer’s attitudes can be classified in four functions, two focused on here are The utilitarian function and the ego-defensive function (Schiffman, 2014).
The utilitarian function: When a product has been useful or helped someone in the past, their attitude towards the product or service is usually favourable. By showing someone your product has a utilitarian purpose that they may not have considered. For example, Toyota highlighting their Prius C hybrid is the best on fuel efficiency (Noronha, 2017).
ego-defensive function: This technique is relying on people to want to protect their self-images from inner feelings of doubt. By acknowledging this need, ads for things such as medicines, cosmetics and fashion clothing can change a person’s attitude by offering reassurance to the consumer’s self- image (Noronha,2017).
Two other functions are the value-expressive function and the Knowledge function
- Associating the product with an admired group or event
It is possible to alter consumer’s perspective about your brand or service by highlighting a relationship with particular social groups, events or causes, personally, an example that comes to my mind is McDonalds ‘Ronald McDonalds house’, which helps seriously ill children and their families in a time of struggle. By situating themselves with a sincere charity that is actually making a difference can help ultimately change the perspective of the company from a negative to a positive one.
- Resolving two conflicting attitudes
Attitude change strategies can sometimes resolve the actual or potential conflict between two attitudes. Specifically, if consumers can be made to see that their negative attitude toward a product, a specific brand, or its attributes is really not in conflict with another attitude, they may be induced to change their evaluation of the brand from a negative too positive.
Altering components of the multi-attribute model
These models provide marketers with additional insights in how to go about changing attitude by:
- changing the relative evaluation of attributes- opportunity to persuade consumers to ‘cross over’ that is to persuade consumers who prefer one version of the product to shift their favorable attitude towards another version of the product (Schiffman, 2014).
- Changing brand beliefs- This suggests that a change in attitude needs to be compelling and repeated enough to overcome the natural resistance to letting go of established attitudes (Schiffman, 2014).
- Adding an attribute– Adding an attribute that reflects an actual product change or technological innovation, is easier to accomplish than stressing a previously ignored attribute (Schiffman, 2014). For example, a sports drink stating they have more health benefits than fruit.
- Changing the overall brand rating: Another strategy consists of attempting to alter consumer’s overall assessment of the brand directly, without attempting to improve or change their evaluation of any single brand attribute (Noronha, 2017). Such a strategy frequently relies on some form of a global statement that “this is the largest selling brand” or “the one all others try to initiate” or a similar claim that sets the brand apart from all its competitors (Schiffman, 2014).
Changing consumer beliefs about competitors’ brands
Put very simple this strategy involves changing the consumer’s perspectives on competitive brands, for example below is a video by Microsoft highlighting all the better features the surface pro has compared to the apple air. This can be a very effective technique however marketers should be careful as comparative advertising can boomerang by giving visibility to a competitor’s claims.
- The elaboration likelihood model (ELM)
specifies when people are more likely to be influenced by the content of persuasive communication instead of superficial characteristics, and vice versa. The model describes two routes to persuasion – central and peripheral – that can be successful in changing someone’s attitude under the right circumstances (Mackenzie, 1992). The central route to persuasion is when people elaborate on a persuasive argument, listening carefully and thinking about the logic behind the message. The peripheral route to persuasion is when people do not elaborate on a persuasive argument and instead are swayed by surface characteristics that are peripheral to the message (Mackenzie, 1992).
References:
Dhar, Ravi, and Klaus Wertenbroch. 2000. “Consumer Choice Between Hedonic And Utilitarian Goods”. Journal of Marketing Research vol.37 pp60-71.
Mackenzie, Scott B., and Richard A. Spreng. 1992. “How Does Motivation Moderate The Impact Of Central And Peripheral Processing On Brand Attitudes And Intentions?”. Journal of Consumer Research. Vol.18.
Noronha, Suraj Francis. Strategies of Attitude change. N.p., 2017. Web. 5 May 2017.
Schiffman, L; O’Cass, A; Paladino, A and Carlson, J 2014, Consumer Behaviour, 6th edition, ISBN 9781442561533.