| Course | MKT 435 Consumer Behavior (MKT/435) |
|---|---|
| Week | 3 |
| Paper type | Consumer attitudes and learning analysis |
| Length | about 1,029 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | BS in Business |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MKT 435 Week 3
Skeptics, Believers and Habits: Attitudes and Learning in the Home Rowing Market
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
MKT/435: Consumer Behavior
Week 3 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Lumen Row, its survey and program results are composites written for a model paper.
Lumen Row, the composite Denver rowing machine company, found in earlier analysis that shoppers who did not buy often perceived the product as being for athletes and saw the monthly fee as a burden. A broader survey of 1,200 adults interested in home fitness has now measured attitudes toward home equipment and toward the brand. At the same time, usage data show that about 30% of owners row fewer than four times a month by their sixth month. A sale made to someone who does not believe they will use the product is often a return or a cancellation waiting to happen. This paper analyzes attitudes before purchase and learning after it.
What an Attitude Is
An attitude is a lasting evaluation of an object, person or idea. It has three parts: beliefs, such as rowing machines give a full-body workout; feelings, such as excitement or guilt; and intentions, such as planning to buy within three months.
Attitudes in the Survey
Most respondents believed rowing is effective exercise and low impact. Feelings were mixed. Many reported guilt or skepticism, recalling equipment they or friends had stopped using. Only 18% intended to buy a rower within six months. The biggest gap was between positive beliefs about rowing and doubt about their own follow-through.
The Theory of Planned Behavior
Ajzen (1991) proposed that intentions are shaped by attitudes toward the behavior, subjective norms reflecting what important others think and perceived behavioral control, the belief that one can carry out the behavior. Intentions and perceived control together predict behavior. In the survey, perceived control over sticking with workouts was the strongest predictor of purchase intention, more than beliefs about rowing itself.
Subjective Norms
Respondents whose partners or friends supported home exercise showed higher intention. Norms matter, which suggests messages involving households and friends.
Where Negative Feelings Come From
The guilt and skepticism in the survey were learned. Many respondents had bought a treadmill, bike or gym membership in the past and stopped using it, and they generalized that experience to all home equipment. Others had absorbed the cultural joke about exercise machines becoming clothes racks. These feelings are not about Lumen Row specifically, which means the brand cannot change them only by describing its own features. It must show that the pattern people expect does not have to repeat.
Three Shopper Groups
Using the survey, the company identified three groups. Believers hold positive beliefs and feel confident; they need little persuasion. Skeptics doubt they will use the machine. Researchers are undecided and gather extensive information.
The Elaboration Likelihood Model
Petty et al. (1983) found in an experiment that when involvement was high, argument quality had a greater effect on attitudes, while when involvement was low, peripheral cues such as celebrity endorsers had more influence. Researchers, who are highly involved, respond to detailed comparisons, specifications and reviews. Less involved viewers scrolling social media respond more to relatable people and simple images.
Changing Skeptics' Attitudes
Skeptics need evidence that people like them keep using the machine. Data showing that owners who complete onboarding row an average of 11 times a month, along with stories from members who had previously abandoned gym memberships, address their doubt directly.
Sizing the Groups
Believers made up about 22% of interested respondents, skeptics 41% and researchers 37%. Believers convert readily but are a small pool. Skeptics are the largest group and the hardest to persuade, but they also represent the most growth if their doubts can be addressed. Researchers convert at moderate rates once their questions are answered.
How Consumers Learn
Learning is a change in behavior from experience. Classical conditioning pairs a product with positive feelings, such as uplifting music in classes. Operant conditioning rewards behavior, such as badges for streaks. Observational learning occurs when people watch others, such as friends sharing workouts.
Habits
Wood and Neal (2009) described how habits form when behaviors are repeated in stable contexts, so that cues such as time and place trigger the behavior automatically, with less reliance on intentions. Owners who rowed at the same time each day in the first month were much more likely to still be rowing at six months.
Learning From Others
Observational learning works through community. New owners who joined a beginner group class in their first week watched others of similar ability progress and reported higher confidence on the follow-up survey. Seeing someone like oneself succeed is a powerful teacher, and the company can make it easier by matching new owners with others who started at the same time.
The First 30 Days
Usage data showed that owners who rowed at least 12 times in the first 30 days had a 90% chance of still being active at six months, compared with 55% for others.
Recommendations: Messages for Researchers
Detailed comparison pages, independent test results and long-form reviews will serve high-involvement shoppers.
Recommendations: Messages for Skeptics
Short videos of real members talking about past failures and current routines will address doubt about follow-through.
Recommendations: A 30-Day Habit Program
New owners will choose a fixed time and place to row, receive reminders at that time and earn recognition for streaks. Classes in the first month will be short and achievable.
Recommendations: Household Support
A household invite will let partners join for free in the first month, building supportive norms.
Rewarding the Right Behavior
Rewards should support enjoyment rather than replace it. Badges and streaks help early on, but research on motivation suggests that heavy external rewards can crowd out internal interest. The program will shift emphasis after the first month from streak counts to personal progress and community.
Ethics
Rewards and reminders will be optional and easy to adjust. Messages will not shame people who stop.
Measuring Change
The company will repeat the attitude survey yearly and track first-month sessions, six-month activity and cancellations.
Conclusion
Shoppers believe rowing works but doubt their own follow-through. The theory of planned behavior shows that perceived control drives intention, and the elaboration likelihood model guides messages by involvement. Habit research supports a 30-day program that builds automatic routines. Together, these steps can change attitudes and keep owners rowing.
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Petty, R. E., Cacioppo, J. T., & Schumann, D. (1983). Central and peripheral routes to advertising effectiveness: The moderating role of involvement. Journal of Consumer Research, 10(2), 135-146. https://doi.org/10.1086/208954
Wood, W., & Neal, D. T. (2009). The habitual consumer. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19(4), 579-592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2009.08.003
What the MKT 435 Week 3 instructions ask
For the third MKT 435 assignment, students generally examine consumer attitudes and learning for a chosen product or brand. Typical requirements cover defining attitudes and their components, explaining models of attitude formation and change, describing how consumers learn through experience, conditioning and observation, analyzing how a company can change negative attitudes or build positive ones and recommending marketing strategies. Some prompts ask students to evaluate a campaign that tried to change attitudes. Apply consumer research to the product, use evidence such as surveys where possible and cite sources in APA format. Separate changing what people think before purchase from building habits after it, since both shape loyalty, and include a way to measure change.
How this MKT 435 Week 3 example is built
Many shoppers have mixed attitudes toward home fitness equipment after seeing friends' machines gather dust, and the paper analyzes how to change those attitudes and build lasting habits. It breaks attitudes into beliefs, feelings and intentions, then applies the theory of planned behavior to show that perceived control over sticking with workouts drives intention. The elaboration likelihood model explains why detailed comparisons persuade careful researchers while member stories influence less involved viewers. Research on habits shows how stable cues and rewards make rowing automatic. Recommendations include proof-based messages, a 30-day habit program and reminders tied to daily routines, along with a free household invite that builds support at home.
MKT 435 Week 3 grading rubric: where the points go
Strong attitude and learning papers apply theory to specific consumer beliefs and behaviors and show how marketing can respond. Instructors credit accurate definitions, correct use of attitude models, evidence about current attitudes, a clear explanation of learning and practical recommendations. Papers that connect attitudes before purchase with habits after purchase show integrated thinking. Reviewers look for scholarly research, specific data and links to the motivation and perception analysis from earlier weeks. Using company data, such as usage in the first month, strengthens the analysis. Recommendations should be ethical and measurable, and organized headings and precise APA citations help readers follow the reasoning from theory to practice and assess the paper fairly.
MKT 435 Week 3 help: mistakes to avoid
Students often define attitudes without measuring them. Use survey or interview evidence. Another frequent gap is listing attitude models without applying them. Show how each explains specific consumer reactions. Students also overlook learning after purchase. Habits determine whether customers keep using a product. Explain conditioning and reinforcement with examples. Match message type to involvement level. Address negative beliefs directly with evidence. Avoid manipulative tactics such as fake countdown timers or guilt-based reminders. Recommend measurable programs with a clear time frame. Connect findings to motivation and perception from earlier weeks. Finally, explain how the company will know whether attitudes and habits have changed, using surveys, usage data or retention.
Related MKT 435 sample papers
Other MKT 435 week samples
- MKT 435 Week 1: The Consumer Decision Process
- MKT 435 Week 2: Perception and Motivation
- MKT 435 Week 4: Family, Social and Cultural
- MKT 435 Week 5: Consumer Insight in Communication
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MKT 435 Week 3 questions, answered
What does MKT 435 Week 3 usually cover?
It usually covers attitudes and learning: attitude components, models of attitude formation and change, how consumers learn and strategies to change attitudes or build habits.
Where can I find a free MKT 435 Week 3 sample paper?
A complete attitudes and learning analysis for a home rowing brand is on this page; a custom version for your own product is available.
What are the components of an attitude?
Cognitive beliefs about an object, affective feelings toward it and behavioral intentions to act, often called the ABC model.
What is the elaboration likelihood model?
A model proposing that persuasion occurs through a central route, involving careful thought about arguments, or a peripheral route, relying on cues such as attractive sources, depending on motivation and ability to process.
How do consumers form habits?
By repeating behaviors in stable contexts, so that cues in the environment trigger the behavior automatically, often reinforced by rewards.
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