Shaping Consumers’ Opinions

1. CHAPTER 12 Shaping Consumers’ Opinions

2. Opinion Formation Opinion formation: the first time we develop a belief, feeling, or attitude about something

3. Opinion Formation Opinion formation: the first time we develop a belief, feeling, or attitude about something Comprehension: involves the interpretation of a stimulus When meaning is attached to the stimulus The meaning depends on what occurs during stimulus processing

4. Opinion Formation Stimulus categorization: classifying stimulus using the mental concepts and categories stored in memory The category to which a product is assigned will affect how the product is interpreted Products and advertisements can be miscategorized

5. Encouraging the Activation of Particular Mental Categories

6. Opinion Formation When consumers pay attention to advertising, they may experience: Cognitive responses: thoughts evoked by the ad Affective responses: feelings evoked by the ad

7. Opinion Formation Different advertisements require different amounts of processing Information-laden ads require extensive processing, while simple ads require less processing As consumers invest varying amounts of cognitive effort in comprehending information, they will have different interpretations of advertisements

8. Opinion Formation Classical conditioning The meaning, feelings, and liking associated with one object can be transferred to another object by simply pairing the two objects together

9. Opinion Formation Classical conditioning The unconditioned stimulus (US) evokes an unconditioned response (UR) The unconditioned response can be transferred to a conditioned stimulus (CS) through simple association Because this response arises from the conditioning, it is called the conditioned response (CR)

10. The Classical Conditioning Approach to Influencing Consumer Attitudes Knives Sharpness (US) (UR)

11. The Classical Conditioning Approach to Influencing Consumer Attitudes Knives Sharpness (US) (UR) Product (CS)

12. The Classical Conditioning Approach to Influencing Consumer Attitudes Knives Sharpness (US) (UR) Cheese Product Sharp flavor (CS) (CR)

13. Product Irrelevant Stimuli Can Enhance Product Liking

14. Opinion Formation The power of association in shaping consumers’ opinions It frees companies from the constraints imposed by how well the product actually performs Simple association works without requiring consumers to undertake extensive thinking during processing

15. Opinion Formation: The Content of Processing The Central Process of Opinion Formation The Peripheral Process of Opinion Formation

16. The Central Process of Opinion Formation Central process: process in which opinions are formed from a thoughtful consideration of relevant information

17. The Central Process of Opinion Formation Central process: process in which opinions are formed from a thoughtful consideration of relevant information These opinions are very sensitive to the strength or quality of the relevant information presented Ads describing brand advantages lead to more favorable opinions

18. The Central Process of Opinion Formation The persuasiveness of an ad’s claims depends on the thinking undertaken during processing The extent to which opinions about the advertised product were affected by the ad claims depends on the amount of product-relevant thinking during processing

19. The Influence of Advertising Claims Depends on the Thinking That Occurs During Ad Processing Favorability of post-message product opinions Less More Amount of relevant thinking during ad processing

20. The Influence of Advertising Claims Depends on the Thinking That Occurs During Ad Processing Stronger ad claims Favorability of post-message product opinions Weaker ad claims Less More Amount of relevant thinking during ad processing

21. The Central Process of Opinion Formation What is the potential for nonclaim advertising elements to provide product-relevant information? When relatively little thinking is done during processing, opinions are unaffected by picture manipulation When more thinking occurs, opinions are more likely to change

22. The Influence of Pictures That Convey Product-Relevant Information also Depends on Thinking During Processing Favorability of post-message product opinions Less More Amount of relevant thinking during ad processing

23. The Influence of Pictures that Convey Product-Relevant Information also Depends on Thinking During Processing Relevant ad picture Favorability of post-message product opinions Irrelevant ad picture Less More Amount of relevant thinking during ad processing

24. The Peripheral Process of Opinion Formation Peripheral process: leads to the formation of opinions without thinking about relevant information

25. The Peripheral Process of Opinion Formation Peripheral process: leads to the formation of opinions without thinking about relevant information Customer's attitude toward an ad is an important determinant of advertising effectiveness in shaping opinions Peripheral cues: stimuli devoid of product-relevant information

26. Peripheral Pictures Become More Influential When Product-Relevant Thinking Declines During Ad Processing Favorability of post-message product opinions Less More Amount of relevant thinking during ad processing

27. Peripheral Pictures Become More Influential When Product-Relevant Thinking Declines During Ad Processing Positive irrelevant picture Favorability of post-message product opinions Negative irrelevant picture Less More Amount of relevant thinking during ad processing

28. The Peripheral Process of Opinion Formation The attractive picture caused subjects to develop more favorable product opinions than did the unattractive picture when thinking about the product’s merits was minimal When thinking was more likely, opinions were unaffected by the pictures

29. Influence of Biased Processing Other factors may bias or alter information processing and cause a change in how the information is interpreted Expectations and mood states may bias information

30. The “Broken B” Stimulus: Prior Expectations Affect Perceptions

31. Opinion Change Any subsequent modification in an existing opinion represents opinion change

32. Opinion Change Any subsequent modification in an existing opinion represents opinion change Whenever consumers have opinions that may prevent them from buying a product, businesses may strive to change consumers’ opinions

33. Opinion Change The need to change consumers’ product opinions often arises for mature products

34. Opinion Change The need to change consumers’ product opinions often arises for mature products Sometimes changing consumers’ opinions requires improving or changing the product itself (updating its image, packaging or claims)

35. Opinion Change The differential threshold: the smallest change in stimulus intensity that will be noticed Just noticeable difference (jnd) Weber’s law: achieving jnd depends on more than simply the absolute amount of change Consumers will perceive a $1.00 discount as significant if it is on a $2.00 item, but not for a $100 item

36. The Difficulty of Changing Consumers’ Opinions Influencing opinions at the time they are formed is easier than changing preexisting opinions, especially if they are confident Consumers’ resistance to change varies from opinion to the next and depends on whether it is based on direct or indirect experience

37. The Danger of Changing Consumers’ Opinions Making changes can improve the opinions of some but harm the opinions of others Changes in a products’ image may attract one segment but alienate another Sacrifices are acceptable as long as the losses are more than offset by the new customers gained

38. How Businesses Shape Consumers’ Opinions

39. How Businesses Shape Consumers’ Opinions Product name Product packaging Colors Price perceptions

40. How Businesses Shape Consumers’ Opinions Free product samples Advertising Product endorsers Message framing

41. The Product’s Name Influences Opinion Formation The meaning derived from the name may influence the opinion formed about the product When it conveys the wrong meaning, sales can suffer

42. The Product’s Name Influences Opinion Formation Research on composite branding shows the brand name appearing first has the strongest influence on attributes associated with that name Descriptive names and labels have also been seen to influence consumers’ opinions and behaviors

43. Order of Composite Brand Names Influences Product Opinions

44. The Influence of Descriptive Names

45. Product Packaging Influences Opinion Formation Product packaging creates expectations of the product and its capabilities including impressions of how much product is inside the package Packages are effective at drawing attention particularly when they have an unusual shape or are taller and thinner as opposed to shorter but wider packaging

46. Product Packaging Influences Opinion Formation Me-too product packaging, which imitates packaging of a leading brand, tries to create favorable opinions with consumers Stimulus generalization occurs when, for an existing stimulus-response relationship, the more similar a new stimulus is to the existing one, the more likely it will evoke the same response

47. Color Influences Opinion Formation Consumer opinions are often tied to the product’s color (which conveys meaning) Color granules in detergents and cold capsules serve as a visual cue for products’ effectiveness Pastel colored vacuum cleaners are perceived to be lighter in weight rather than dark colored tones

48. Color Influences Opinion Formation Colors of foods may change expectations of flavor and also change perceived flavor (vanilla pudding that is colored chocolate) Websites that use blue screens are seen as more relaxing with faster download times than those with yellow screens

49. Price Perceptions Nine-ending prices: when the last digit of the price is the number 9, it signals a lower price or is mentally rounded down Given a price of $19.99, it can be viewed as $19.00 instead of $20.00

50. Price Perceptions Reference pricing: information about a price other than that actually charged for the product is provided