Consumers often hold strong beliefs on a variety of topics that can be near impossible to shift. Having a customer this loyal to your brand is a dream, but it can be a nightmare when it is for a competitor. As a consumer myself, I could confidently say there is no way my opinion could be altered on some topics or brands but, is this actually so? Is it possible for my opinion to be changed subconsciously and I am none the wiser?
Blythe (2008) stated if an individual’s cognition, affect and conation is balanced, it is difficult to change their beliefs as their attitude is ‘stabilised’, but when these three are out of balance, the individual’s ideals can be challenged and hopefully influenced. The degree to which we are hopeful of alteration will strongly depend on if we are a brand or if we are the targeted consumer! It’s a scary thought that psychological techniques so heavily influence our decisions and that we can be tricked and played to make decisions we fully believe we have made ourselves.
Yes, it’s easy to believe you are untouchable and would never fall for any of these tricks, but how many times have you purchased something you *need* and it’s left in a draw the next month? And how many times have you found yourself buying that indulgent ice cream you really like (even though its super bad for you…) because it was on offer and it’s *never* on offer?
Let’s face it, we are all fools, but this is okay, as long as we are aware of this and work to actively combat it, because what’s an odd scoop of ice cream between friends, hey? My journey of branding myself from a consumer to a ‘brand’ has highlighted to me how many times I have been targeted and how many times I have blindly fallen for it. Being aware of these failures enables me to learn and progress to a wiser and more confident self, and I would strongly encourage you to do the same.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my short insight into changing consumer attitudes and beliefs, but please let me know what you thought below. What are your thoughts on your own attitudes? Would you say you are loyal across all fronts or do you find you are often swayed from one brand/ideal to the next?
Remember to be fully informed on all your decisions as the key to understanding how consumers work is first understanding yourself.