Changing attitudes of consumer with marketing communication

Abstract

This thesis focuses on finding out how to change consumer attitudes and on examining consumer behavior. Marketing communication is a wide concept and its tools are used to persuade the con-sumers. Companies need these tools for building and maintaining customer loyalty. In this thesis, persuasion is examined as a specific tool for conveying an organization’s message to consumers.

The study was carried out by reviewing secondary data and the compilations of research articles. In the work, it has been endeavored to present the findings coherently and concisely. The source material was taken from 10 books on marketing management. Most of the books were published between the years 2000 and 2008 and were chosen based on the central issue of the thesis, which was to examine how marketing communication influences consumer behavior. Some of the books were chosen on the recommendation of the supervising teachers.

The results of the study show that the most effective tool of marketing communication is the per-sonal interaction with consumers. Furthermore, the most important tool for changing the consumer attitudes is personal sales promotion. Persuasion is another important factor but should be used in a positive way. The results also revealed that the consumer's social environment plays an important role in changing the attitudes.

The marketers should use persuasive communication, which is critical in marketing, but they should be able to recognize the difference between persuasion and pressure. It is of essential importance for the successful operations of a company to introduce the proper use of persuasive communication in order to influence the consumers who might change their attitudes towards the company's goods and services.