Whether it is a person or an object, once you come across something, you build an opinion around it. These opinions are also known as attitudes, and they can shape how we interact and think about the things around us. Think of a product you don’t like. Your attitude or opinions towards that product is negative and you formed it through previous experiences. Have you ever wondered what makes up these attitudes? In this article we’ll talk about the Tri-Component Attitude Model and its components to understand how it is we form these attitudes towards things. Then we’ll talk about why this is important for marketers to understand.
What is the Tri component model?
The Tri-Component Attitude Model are three components that form attitudes. Developed by Rosenberg and Hovland in 1960, this model suggests that attitudes are made up of three key components: affective, Conative (behavioral), and cognitive.
Affective Component:
The affective component of attitudes involves our emotional responses or feelings toward an object, person, or idea. These emotions can be positive, negative, or neutral. For example, if you have a positive affective component toward chocolate, you might feel happy or excited when you see a chocolate bar. On the other hand, if you have a negative affective component toward spiders, you might feel fear or disgust when you encounter one.
As a marketer, you want to create a brand that generates a good emotional response. Ideally, you want these emotions to be the first thing people feel when they think of the brand, which is why having a good brand image is important. These emotions are not limited to happiness and joy, they can be motivational or even sad. For example, take a look at the Loretta Google commercial. Google was not aiming to make you happy but instead wanted to tap into more personal sad feelings. If you’ve seen this ad and you think of Google, odds are you’re not going to get sad. Instead, you might subconsciously or consciously favor a Google product when comparing it to other brands. The affective component is a powerful tool that could even help you when it comes to dealing with the post purchase decision process of a buyer.
Conative/Behavioral Component:
The behavioral component of attitudes refers to our tendency to behave in a certain way toward the object of our attitude. It involves our actions and intentions. Continuing with the previous examples, if you have a positive attitude toward chocolate, you might buy it frequently, indulge in it, and recommend it to others. Conversely, if you have a negative attitude toward spiders, you might avoid places where you're likely to encounter them, or you might scream and run away when you see one. How does this help marketers? Some will say the best marketing is when you let the consumers market for you. If people like the brand or product and feel positively towards it, they will recommend you to others. Word of mouth is one of the most effective marketing strategies because of how genuine it is. People may be persuaded by ads but they will be sold by friends, family or anyone leaving an honest review of the brand or product.
Cognitive Component:
The cognitive component of attitudes encompasses our thoughts, beliefs, and knowledge about the object of our attitude. It involves our understanding and perceptions. For instance, if you have a positive cognitive component toward environmental conservation, you might believe that recycling is important and that everyone should do their part to protect the planet. Conversely, if you have a negative cognitive component toward a political candidate, you might believe that their policies are harmful or that they lack the qualifications for the job.
As a marketer, this is why it’s important to establish your mission and values for the brand. If someone who is very eco friendly is shopping for bags, and one is made out of recyclable material while the other actually harms the environment, based on their beliefs they will buy the eco friendly bag. If they don’t know that about the product or your brand then they might go with another option and your company can lose out on revenue.
Attitudes Can Make or Break Your Brand
Attitudes are formed the moment a consumer is exposed to a product or brand in general. They are formed through the three components we just covered. An attitude will form based on the emotions you invoke on the consumer, their tendencies and behaviors, and the thoughts, beliefs, and knowledge they already have on that product or industry. It’s important for marketers to truly understand this process and see the various stages in which an attitude can be formed for your brand. There are many things you can’t control such as how a person behaves or what they know, some of their beliefs might not be technically true but by providing them with as much information that reflects your company’s mission and values, you can be a step ahead for when your brand comes across them.