Usages & Attitudes

For product managers, knowing how and why consumers purchase and use products is vital for day to day decision making. For brand managers, the value of usage and attitudes studies are in understanding how both above the line and below the line advertising and promotions impact on consumer behaviour and purchase behaviour. Attitudes are the way consumers feel and act towards aspect of their environment.

Attitudes are the result of all influences and experience an individual will face and therefore reflect lifestyles that the individual follows. Attitudes therefore focus around a lot of market strategy. There are strategies that can therefore be followed to changes attitudes around the cognitive component (beliefs and knowledge about an attitude object) which help achieve business objectives. Strategies for influencing attitudes include:

• Change the beliefs about attributes of a brand
• Change the importance of the consumer beliefs
• Adding new beliefs to present attitudes
• Change the attitudes around the beliefs of the ideal brand

Attitudes are therefore a basis for market segmentation strategies such as:

Benefit segmentation strategies – grouping into segments based on similarities and differences around an attitudinal benefit that affects the decision making process of a consumer around what they look for in a product or service offering. newfocus has extensive experience in finding out the importance association attached to attitudes around a product or service. Understanding this importance can help define benefit segments and forming the grouping of benefit segments.

New product development strategies

It is imperative to understand consumer’s attitudes before positioning your brand as attitudes are long-term and difficult to change. This is a strategic implication towards attitude to be considered.

newfocus’ approach to usage and attitudes monitoring provides a dynamic look at consumer behaviour and the purchasing decision, incorporating elements of advertising, brand health, and usage situation research.