Consumer Attitudes - I don't care to Negative - how to change??

Consumer attitudes are the beliefs, thoughts, and feelings that influence consumer opinions and decisions. They are the emotional responses individuals have towards products, brands, services, or experiences. Consumers have emotional responses that are not logical but emotional. Attitudes can be positive, negative, or even neutral. Let us look at some extreme attitudes towards products and services.

I don’t care attitude: The entire world is driven by health fresh and thickness. Consumers worship an image of themselves. An image in which they are "lean, mean, and fit". The fitness industry is worth many billions of dollars. But surprisingly an exact reverse of extreme fitness also exists. it is called the "Heart Attack Grill."

Heart Attack Grill is a restaurant in Los Angeles. Heart attack grill worships gluttony and large people. The Octuple Bypass Burger offers a whopping 20,000 calories in one go. Many consumers have suffered seizures and some have even died. Heart attack gill has waitresses dressed as nurses; Drinks are served not in glasses but come through pipes styled like IV drips in a hospital. Consumers dress in hospital aprons and the nurse spank consumers who are not able to finish their food. Consumers weighing over 350 pounds get to eat free.

The trigger here is being anti-establishment. In a world that worships thinness, consumers of Heart Attack Grill have no qualms about their size or girth. They worship obesity and have no discomfort about being big. In their world, thin people are seen as sissy or unnatural.

Being anti-something itself is an attraction. Now we see Similar tendencies in Indian street food which is greasy, oily, cheesy, and extremely buttery.  Many consumers want to taste and saviour such unhealthy food.

Converting Negative attitude to neutral to positive:  Motorcycles had got a very unsavory reputation in the USA during the 50s and the 6os. People riding motorcycles were seen as tough and mean guys. In short, motorcycles were seen as vehicles for the tough and the anti-social elements. The tough image of the Harley Davidson riders and the looks of the Harley riders did nothing to bolster confidence that motorcycles were for the entire family. Consumers had a very negative attitude towards motorcycles and motorcycle riders.

Honda did a campaign, ‘You meet the nicest people on a Honda’. This campaign was executed by Grey Advertising, USA.  The advertisement depicted housewives, a parent and children, young couples, and other respectable members of society referred to as "the nicest people" riding Honda motorcycles for a variety of purposes.

Honda succeeded in its appeal to the American public. It was seen as a casual vehicle for daily activities, and as such was an entirely new consumer value as a vehicle for the entire family. It erased the motorcycle's deeply rooted image of evil and discontent.  This iconic campaign legitimized motorcycles and made motorcycles and motorcycling reputable again in the USA.

Shifting Consumer negative Mindsets: some tips that might work

1) Pinpoint the Origin: Identify the root cause of consumer dissatisfaction. Address the Persistent Issues: Concentrate on recurring customer grievances.

 2) Offer Trustworthy Data: Supply reliable and consistent information.

 3) Stir Emotions and Values: Appeal to consumers' emotional and moral compass.

 4) Encourage Trial and Engagement: Motivate consumers to test and engage with the product.

 5) Strengthen and Acknowledge Loyalty: Bolster and recognize consumer loyalty.

 6) Monitor and Adjust: Stay vigilant and adapt to evolving consumer perspectives.

 7) Craft a Strategy: Formulate a comprehensive strategy to rectify negative perceptions, possibly through enhanced staff training and product enhancements.

 8) Align with Communities or Events: Connect the product with communities or events admired by consumers.

9) Resolve Attitudinal Conflicts: Resolve any existing or potential conflicts among consumer attitudes.

10) Transform Brand Perceptions: Alter how consumers evaluate product attributes, shift brand beliefs, and improve overall brand sentiment.

Heart attack Grill – Anti- Marketing at its best!

 

In the world that we live in everything is available on a tap. Information is so much in excess that people are jaded and experiences are no longer treasured. Attention spans are incredibly low and are down to 8 seconds for the Generation Z.

 

So, what should a marketer do? Normal Marketing will not work. What customers want is a shock, that too a 1000-volt shock, that should jolt them, almost to death!

 

Almost on cue we have Heart attack Grill, a restaurant from Los Vegas, USA. Jon Basso the owner has created a controversy and built a restaurant around and named it Heart attack Grill. Savour some of the unusual things that happen at Heart Attack Grill that would pop our eye-balls out of their sockets,

 

1)          Name itself a big shocker Heart Attack Grill – Challenges the customers!

 

2)     The normal offering is a 9,982 Quadruple Bypass burger (almost 4 days calorie requirement for an average man) and French fries cooked in fat, Jon Basso himself says "Don't come here every day of the week; it'll kill you,'" How many owners dare say “don’t come every day to my business/shop””.

3)         The Owner calls himself a doctor, all male employees are called doctors and all female employees are called nurses who dress seductively and appear to be girls out of an adult magazine. The restaurant ambience is that of an hospital!

4)            All the customers have to wear a hospital gown before they start eating food. 

5)            Customers are called patients.

6)            The nurses are loved and are a huge attraction for the customers.

 

7)            Any one not finishing the food is spanked on the back side with a wooden paddle by the “nurses”.

8)       Payments are strictly cash only. (What is the guarantee that the customer would survive the meal. What if he/she dies before the cheque is realized).

 

9)       Patrons weighing more than 350 pounds (160 kgs) eat free! They have to stand on a weighing scale that flashes their weight on a huge screen!

 

10)       Heart Attack Grill’s tag line is "taste worth dying for," 

 

11)    Nothing healthy is allowed, no lettuce on the Grill's burgers. No Diet Coke, only full-sugared soda is sold.

 

12)    The nurses wheel out "patients" who are able to down a Quadruple Bypass Burger to their car in a wheelchair.

 

13)        Diners find themselves surrounded by posters that glorify obesity.

 

14)        An oversized pill bottle dangles above the bar where the “doctor” mixes drinks and pours beer.

 

15)     Their biggest, the octuple bypass burger, has 19,900 calories (almost 10 days calorie requirement for an average man) and contains nearly four pounds of fat -filled meat.

 

16)        Full bottles of wine are served in IV bags, 3.4-ounce shots in pill bottles, and Jello shots in syringes.

 

17)     Two people considered to be spokespeople of the restaurant died due to obesity-related conditions. The first, Blair River, died at the age of 29 in 2011 after a bout with the flu that had become fatal due to his obesity. River is still pictured in many of the restaurant’s advertisements and décor.

 

18)      A second spokesperson, John Alleman died at 52 in 2013 after suffering a heart attack on the premises itself. He ate at the restaurant every day,

 

19)        The ashes of John Alleman and his ashes sit atop the bar, on display.

20)      I am speech less. People are craving for experiences that is out of the world and they are ready to do anything to have that experience including risking their own life whether it is eating at Heart Attack grill or trying out a dish of FUGU fish (a dish that is so dangerous that, one has to sign a document of release before sampling it). Every year more than 100 people die eating the deadly Fugu fish!