An experimental study of relationships between attitudes, brand preference, and choice

Abstract

This paper examines the effectiveness of models of preference and choice based on specific product attributes. An experiment with soft drink brands produced data that reflect preference rankings, choice, and evaluation of specific attributes at different points in time. Deterministic and stochastic choice models are examined. 0+3N THIS St~Udy \VC extelld the SCqUCIlCC Of I studies (Bass CE Talarzyk, 1972; Bass, l'essmiier, Teach, ~f i Talarzyk, 1969; Lelimann, 1971) in which we have been cngagcd where rclat,ioriships between prcfercnce for similar alternativcs and attitude measures based 011 specific attributes of thc altcmat,ivev are explored. We rcplicatc certain fcatm-cs of our previous studies and introduce the new olements of dynamirs and act,ual choice. The basic proposition which motivates this research is tlie idea that choice behavior is influenced by pcrceptioris of and values for specific attribut,cs of t.he choice objects. The theoretical foundation for the basic propositmion lies in tJhc :i,ttitjudo theories of social psychologists. Lancastcbr (1966) in the context of economic theory has suggested similar ideas t'o those which stcm from social psychology in indicating that thc utility of a good is bascd on tlie utility of thc propertics which the good dd' 1 ivers. lrishbein (1967) has suggested :I gclner:il theoretical (and operational) model for attitude measurement that scrves as the point of departurc for our studies Fishbein's iiiodel, consistent with the att,itude theory tradition from which it derives, \\-as not formulitted with the measurement of relative at,titudes toward similar objccts in mind, but with the view toward the measurement of an attitude toward a given object. Houwcr, it swms quite natural to extend the theory. Since an attitudc is defined as ":I prcdisposition to respond in a particular wag to.l\-ard a spccfied class of objects" the argument presented subsequently seems coiisisterit with this definition. If one's attitude t,o\vard object A is more favorablc than his attitude toward object R, then object A is prefcrred to object B, arid if object A is preferred to object R, then, other things being equal, it is more likely that object 9 will be chosen than object R.The central underlying proposition in attitude theory is that attitudes are composed of beliefs about the attributes of objects and the evaluative aspect of thosc beliefs. Thus, for cxamplc, if we were measuring attitudes toward diff went brands of t'oothpaste we would determine the beliefs which consumers have about the extent t'o which each of scveral brands possess properties such as decay prevention, teet'h whitening, taste, and br&h control and tlie importance which consumers attach to each of these properties. The measurements, then, are specific to the choice object rnthcr t,han general measurements such as personality or generalized attitudes and intentions. The cognitive and affective components of att.it,udc are included in the measurement,^.

A comparison of attitudinal loyalty measurement approaches

“…I would rather stick with my brand I usually buy than try something I am not very sure of x 2 If I like a brand, I rarely switch from it just to try something different x 3 I rarely introduce new brands and products to my colleagues x 4 I rarely take chances by buying unfamiliar brands even if it means sacrificing variety x 5 I buy the same brands even if they are only average x 6 I would rather wait for others to try a new brand than try it myself x 7 I would rather stick to well known brands when purchasing directory advertising…”

Market Share Response When Consumers Seek Variety

“…In noting that their subjects chose self-reported favorite soft drinks only about half the time, Bass, Pessemier, and Lehmann (1972) suggested variety-seeking as an important determinant of consumer behavior. Since that time, research has focused on describing consumer varietyseeking behavior (Jeuland 1978;McAlister 1979McAlister , 1982McAlister and Pessemier 1982;Givon 1984;Lattin 1987;Bawa 1990), on describing product classes in which variety-seeking occurs (Kahn, Kalwani, andMomson 1986, 1988), and on describing relationships between brands that consumers select for variety (Lattin and McAlister 1985).…”

Frequency of consumption and changing determinants of purchase decision: from attributes to values in the organic food market

“…The purpose of this approach is to advance in, further understanding of the end market by departing from the traditional attribute-based approach, which focuses exclusively on the physical characteristics of products (Bass et al, 1972), and adopting a broader approach, that analyses the influence of the personal traits of the decision maker on product attribute perception. This theoretical framework fits into the context of presentday society, in which consumers' desires are more plentiful than their needs, leading them to seek additional functions that give added value to the product and were identified in Hanf and Kühl (2003).…”