CHAPTER 15 Shaping Consumers Opinions Roger D Blackwell

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 All rights reserved.

Opinion Formation Stimulus categorization: classifying stimulus using the mental concepts and categories stored in memory After hearing a brand name, consumers assign it to a category of product Products and advertisements can be miscategorized All rights reserved.

Opinion Formation Different advertisements require different amounts of processing A lot of information requires 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 All rights reserved.

Opinion Formation The amount of processing can shape comprehension and opinion formation Cognitive responses Affective responses Because consumers tend to invest few cognitive resources into processing advertising messages, ads often feature simple, easy to comprehend messages All rights reserved.

The “got milk? ” campaign features messages which provide information about the benefits of

This ad, for a heartburn medication, provides consumers with a lot of information which

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 classical conditioning Since this response arises from the conditioning it is called the conditioned response (CR) All rights reserved.

Classical Conditioning Approach to Influencing Consumer Attitude (US) Knives Sharpness (UR) (CS) Product Sharp

Opinion Formation Classical conditioning All rights reserved.

Opinion Formation Classical conditioning Meaning transfer can occur from pairing two objects together in an ad Association may also cause a transfer of feeling and liking from a stimuli to the advertised product Product-irrelevant stimuli can affect product choice Among alternatives lacking a dominant brand, association with a well-liked stimulus may sway choice All rights reserved.

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 All rights reserved.

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

Central Process of Opinion Formation Central process: process in which opinions are formed from 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 All rights reserved.

This advertisement describes the advantages of Miracle-Gro potting soil. It describes how Miracle-Gro performs

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 All rights reserved.

The Influence of Advertising Claims Depends on the Thinking That Occurs During Ad Processing Favorability of postmessage product opinions Less More Amount of relevant thinking during ad processing All rights reserved.

The Influence of Advertising Claims Depends on the Thinking That Occurs During Ad Processing Stronger ad claims Favorability of postmessage product opinions Weaker ad claims Less More Amount of relevant thinking during ad processing All rights reserved.

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 All rights reserved.

The Influence of Pictures that Convey Product-Relevant Information also Depends on Thinking During Processing Favorability of postmessage product opinions Less More Amount of relevant thinking during ad processing All rights reserved.

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

Peripheral Process of Opinion Formation Peripheral process: leads to the formation of opinions without thinking about relevant information Often attitude toward an ad is an important determinant of advertising effectiveness in shaping opinions Peripheral cues: stimuli devoid of product-relevant information All rights reserved.

Peripheral Pictures Become More Influential When Product-relevant Thinking Declines During Ad Processing Favorability of postmessage product opinions Less More Amount of relevant thinking during ad processing All rights reserved.

Peripheral Pictures Become More Influential When Product-relevant Thinking Declines During Ad Processing Positive irrelevant picture Favorability of postmessage product opinions Negative irrelevant picture Less More Amount of relevant thinking during ad processing All rights reserved.

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 All rights reserved.

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 All rights reserved.

How Businesses Influence Opinion Formation All rights reserved.

How Businesses Influence Opinion Formation Advertising claims Product endorsers Use of free product samples

Advertising Claims Influence Opinion Formation Stronger claims create more favorable product opinions Relevancy makes claims stronger Strength also depends on what the ad conveys about the product’s characteristics and benefits Comparative ads offer stronger ad claims and may lead to more favorable opinions All rights reserved.

Advertising Claims Influence Opinion Formation Ad claim substantiation is important in opinion formation Testimonials and product demonstrations are effective ways to substantiate claims How can consumers verify an ad claim’s accuracy or truthfulness? All rights reserved.

Advertising Claims Influence Opinion Formation Search claims: claims that can be validated before purchase by examining information readily available in the marketplace Experience claims: claims that require product consumption for verification All rights reserved.

Gillette makes experience claims about Mach 3 razors All rights reserved.

Advertising Claims Influence Opinion Formation Search claims: claims that can be validated before purchase by examining information readily available in the marketplace Experience claims: claims that require product consumption for verification Credence claims: claims that are impossible to verify All rights reserved.

Advertising Claims Influence Opinion Formation Objective claims focus on factual information that is not subject to individual interpretations Subjective claims are ones that may evoke different interpretations across individuals Objective claims are often perceived as more believable All rights reserved.

Tums claims that its product is recommended by doctors more than other brands. The

Product Endorsers Influence Opinion Formation Endorsers can help shape product opinions in several ways: Association with brand may be reason enough to buy it Endorsers may embody meanings that companies want attached to their brands All rights reserved.

Product Endorsers Influence Opinion Formation Endorsers can help shape product opinions in several ways: Association with brand may be reason enough to buy it Endorsers may embody meanings that companies want attached to their brands Match-up hypothesis: endorsers are more effective when perceived as appropriate for the product All rights reserved.

Product Endorsers Influence Opinion Formation Endorsers may give testimonials and provide evidence of product’s attributes (make-up on endorser) Endorser’s trustworthiness is critical in increasing the believability of the ad claim Endorsers may serve as a peripheral cue All rights reserved.

Nike. com uses tennis great Pete Sampras to endorse its products on and off

Free Product Samples Influence Opinion Formation Free samples can be effective when introducing a

Impact of Free Samples on Purchase Behavior: Free Samples Boost Trial Purchasing 16% ts en pi i Percentage of households buying ple m Sa e Fre c Re 11. 4% l tro on C Months 1 2 3 4 5 6 Based on eight brand composite All rights reserved.

Impact of Free Samples on Purchase Behavior: Free Sample-Induced Triers Tend to Be Better Repeaters 35. 7% nts e ipi c Re e Percentage of triers repurchasing pl am e. S re 31. 8% F l tro on C Months 1 2 3 4 5 6 Based on eight brand composite All rights reserved.

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 All rights reserved.

Product Packaging Influences Opinion Formation Me-too product packaging, which imitates packaging of a leading brand, tries to create favorable opinions with consumers Stimulus generation 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 All rights reserved.

Color Influences Opinion Formation Consumer opinions are often tied to the product’s color Color granules in detergents and cold capsules serve as a visual cue for products’ effectiveness Colors of foods may change expectations of flavor and also change perceived flavor (green orange juice) All rights reserved.

Reference Pricing Influences Opinion Formation Reference pricing: involves providing information about a price other than that actually charged for the product Price tag may carry actual price and “suggested retail price” Designed to encourage consumers to form a favorable opinion about the reasonableness of the price All rights reserved.

Opinion Change Once an initial opinion has been formed, any modification represents opinion change Whenever consumers have opinions that may prevent them from buying a product, businesses may strive to change consumers’ opinions Research is often used to identify consumers’ beliefs and attitudes about product attributes All rights reserved.

Opinion Change The need for changing consumers’ product opinions commonly occurs for mature products After years on the market, product image, packaging, or claims may need to be updated All rights reserved.

Del Monte introduced an easy-to-open pull-top can to the marketplace to change consumers’ opinions

Opinion Change The need for changing consumers’ product opinions commonly occurs for mature products After years on the market, product image, packaging, or claims may need to be updated Products may also require “improvements” to change opinions All rights reserved.

Aunt Jemima introduced a new, thicker light syrup to the market to improve consumers’

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 All rights reserved.

The Difficulty of Changing Opinions Easier to change opinions at time of formation than preexisting opinions Some opinions are more resistant to change than others How an initial opinion is formed may affect how resistant it is to change (experienced a product versus heard about it from friend) All rights reserved.

The Danger of Changing Opinions Making changes to improve opinions of some people, may hurt the opinions of others Changes designed to attract customers must be weighed against their potential for alienating other customers All rights reserved.

Consumer Behavior Roger D. Blackwell Paul W. Miniard James F. Engel Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be mailed to the following address: Permissions Department, Harcourt, Inc. 6277 Sea Harbor Drive Orlando, Florida 32887 -6777 Copyright© 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved.