Welcome to Topic 8: Consumer Persuasion.
There is a science to persuasion, and marketers use it to their advantage to influence consumer attitudes and behaviour through promotional activities. Researchers have studied persuasion extensively since the 1950s, so an extensive body of knowledge is available. Persuasion theory suggests that attitude measurements can be a key indicator and prediction of consumer behaviour. Therefore, marketers refer to attitude research when developing marketing campaigns. Persuasive messages must always focus on the benefit, the needs, and interests of the target segment. Credibility and source attractiveness are key factors in persuasion, and marketers must also distinguish between high- and low-involvement purchases.
In this topic, you will learn about:
- Persuasive messaging strategies
- Feedback and market research
- Persuasion – how do marketers change attitudes?
These relate to the Subject Learning Outcomes:
- Discuss the current trends in consumer behaviour and apply them to the marketing mix.
- Identify the impact of social and cultural factors on consumer behaviour.
- Discuss how consumers make decisions that impact on their buying behaviour.
- Review the effectiveness and impact of advertising, promotions and media on consumer behaviour.
- Write effective marketing plans to influence consumer decision-making.
Welcome to your pre-seminar learning tasks for this week. Please ensure you complete these prior to attending your scheduled seminar with your lecturer.
Click on each of the following headings to read more about what is required for each of your pre-seminar learning tasks.
Read Chapter 7 (pp. 255-264) and Chapter 8 (pp. 315-327) of the prescribed text - Solomon, MR 2020, Consumer behavior: Buying, having, and being, 13th edn., Pearson Education Ltd.
Task: Summarise a minimum of five (5) key takeouts from the two readings in relation to consumer persuasion. Then, submit your notes to your reflective journal. You can access the reflective journal by clicking on ‘Journal’ in the navigation bar for this subject.
Watch the following videos:
- Influenceatwork 2021, Science of Persuasion streaming video, YouTube.
- Khan Academy 2014, Persuasion, attitude change, and the elaboration likelihood model streaming video, YouTube.
- Learning Psychology 2016, Psychology of Persuasion: “Only a few items left!” streaming video, YouTube.
- Entreprenelogy 2021, How to influence buying decisions of your customers with neuromarketing? streaming video, YouTube,
Task: Identify three (3) key takeouts from each of these videos and reflect on how media and advertisement affect consumer perception and behaviour. Submit your notes to your reflective journal.
Read the following web articles:
- Peek, S 2021, The Science of Persuasion: How to Influence Consumer Choice, Business News Daily
- Pattisall, J & Colburn, C 2021, The Collision of Precision and Persuasion: Rethink The Customer Lifecyle, Forrester
Task: Summarise key insights from the articles in your own words and submit your notes to your reflective journal.
Read and watch the following content.
Persuasive message strategies
Before embarking on promotions, marketers must first establish their communication objectives, define the appropriate target audiences, and identify calls to action that will drive intended consumer behaviour. Messages must reinforce existing beliefs aligned to brand identity and brand image.
A message can be non-verbal (an image, photograph, logo or symbol) or verbal (such as spoken or written words). Verbal messages often incorporate specific information and facts on the products and services offered. In many instances, verbal and non-verbal messages are combined to increase recall. For messages to be persuasive, decoding by the receiver must occur as outlined in the following figure (Schiffman & Wisenblit 2019).
Elements of persuasive messages
Let us take a deeper look at persuasive messages. The following three key elements should be considered when developing a persuasive message:
- Persuasive messages must always focus on the benefits, needs, and interests of the target segment and address potential doubts.
- Persuasive messages must resonate with the target segment. Resonance is a term used to describe a strong fit between the receiver and the message in terms of emotional and cognitive appeal. For example, photographs or illustrations can reinforce verbal stimuli or written text.
- Persuasive messages must be appropriate for the perceived involvement level of the product or service. The involvement theory has found that people devote a more active cognitive effort if a product or service is expensive. This process is referred to as a high-involvement purchase situation.
For high-involvement products or services, marketers are advised to understand and pursue the so-called central route to persuasion by developing and presenting strong and relevant arguments that encourage cognitive processing. In contrast, marketers should follow the peripheral route to persuasion for low-involvement purchases by focusing on repetition, verbal cues, background scenery or celebrities.
In summary, marketers who fully understand the route to persuasion as per the Elaboration Likelihood Model (as outlined in the following figure) should align their marketing promotions accordingly. As advertisement messages become more personally relevant, the involvement increases, and consumers are more willing to expand the cognitive effort required to process the message (Schiffman & Wisenblit 2019).
The following figure shows a more detailed breakdown of the central route to persuasion and the peripheral route to persuasion.
Persuasive strategies
Social judgement theory
The social judgement theory states that information processing depends on the consumers’ social involvement with the issue. The marketing implications are that highly involved consumers are usually more brand loyal and less likely to consider different opinions or arguments (Schiffman & Wisenblit 2019).
Message understanding
It is important that the receiver can decode the message from the advertisement. Message understanding is a function of the receivers’ motivation, mood states and opportunity. Demographic and sociocultural membership, personality and lifestyle are also important determinants in how the message is interpreted. Marketers work with positive and negative cognitive moods and can use non-cognitive moods by using stimuli such as music and scenery (Schiffman & Wisenblit 2019).
Credibility and attractiveness
Source credibility and source attractiveness also play a role in terms of persuasion. Generally, the more credible and trustworthy a source is, the more persuasive the message can become. As explained in Solomon (2020 p. 313), “source attractiveness refers to the social value recipients attribute to a communicator. This value relates to the person’s physical appearance, personality, social status, or similarity to the receiver (we like to listen to people who are like us and turn to people who are beautiful)”.
Consumers consider their personal sources (reference groups) more trustworthy than promotional messages, although they know their friends and relatives usually offer little expert knowledge. Research has also found that star power can be influential, especially when celebrities advertise products that align to their own brand. Non-human endorsers, such as cartoon characters or mascots (for example, the M&M mascots), can also boost advertising campaigns' effectiveness (Schiffman & Wisenblit 2019).
Two-factor theory
A cluttered environment and selective perception can heavily reduce the effectiveness of marketing communications. This barrier can be overcome by exposing consumers repeatedly to the same message or advertisement. However, as discussed in previous topics, too much repetition can cause advertisement wear-out. Therefore, marketers apply the two-factor theory (as shown in the following image) with the aim to balance advertisement exposure that will lead to a positive learning factor. This theory explains that in the first phase (called wear-in) if a consumer is repeatedly exposed to an advertisement then they will become familiar with it. However, they may then become used to that brand and will then enter the second phase (called wear-out). As a result, the consumer becomes tired of hearing about the brand and stops buying the product (Magloff 2019).
Framing the message
Framing the message in a positive or negative way depends on the product or services promoted and whether it is a low- or high-involvement category. Negative framing can work effectively in high-involvement situations where detailed information processing is encouraged. A research study has found that messages with a positive frame are often more persuasive in low-involvement situations. Messages can also be enhanced by focusing on the superiority of product attributes, features and value. This is referred to as claim credibility (Schiffman & Wisenblit 2019).
Counterarguments and comparative advertisements
Some marketers use counterarguments in their advertisements to help consumers see both sides. Comparative advertisement (as demonstrated in the following figure) is a marketing strategy that aims to create awareness of superior product features while discrediting competitors in those product attributes. However, research indicates that comparative advertisement often strengthens the competitors’ position rather than weakening it (Schiffman & Wisenblit 2019).
Variations and the order effect
Marketing theory proposes that well-known brands benefit from advertisement variations more than unknown brands. Marketers also need to consider the order of when a commercial is shown as the first commercial in a block of advertisements on television has a higher recall than the middle commercial or the last one. This is referred to as the order effect.
Types of appeal and gaining attention
Another consideration for marketers is whether factual appeals will work better than emotional appeals. Fear can be an effective emotional strategy, but there is no evidence of the relationship between fear appeals and persuasiveness. Some marketers believe in the effectiveness of humour (an example is shown in the following image). If the humour does not draw away from the core message of the advertisement, it can be an effective tool to gain attention, especially amongst younger audiences. Sex is another form of gaining attention, albeit it may distract from the actual message and brand (Schiffman & Wisenblit 2019).
Feedback and market research
Feedback is the receivers’ response to all forms of communication. By reviewing this feedback promptly, marketers can gain insight into how well their message has been understood. It is the ultimate test of whether the receiver has decoded the message in the way the marketer intended and how persuasive it was. Interpersonal communication allows for feedback to be obtained instantly through verbal or non-verbal cues, hence the reason why personal selling is so effective (Schiffman & Wisenblit 2019).
Market research should be used to monitor the major stages of a campaign. This includes pre-testing advertisements before the final rollout of campaigns, tracking advertisements, and conducting post-campaign research. The research helps reshape advertisements prior to launch, optimises campaigns and provides essential learnings for the next campaign. The feedback changes the process of communication from one-way to two-way communication, which is important for senders as they can evaluate how well the message was received and understood (Schiffman & Wisenblit 2019).
Advertising effectiveness
Schiffman and Wisenblit (2019) explain that there are three ways to determine the advertising effectiveness:
- Persuasion effects determines whether the message was received, understood, and interpreted correctly
- Sales effects evaluates whether the messages of a given campaign have generated the sales level defined in the campaign’s objectives
- Media exposure effects of messages can be measured by buying data from firms that monitor media audiences and conducting audience research to determine which media are read and which television programs are viewed more extensively than others.
Measurement tools may include physiological measures such as eye-tracking methods, brain wave analysis or skin conductance monitors, or attitudinal measures that recognise customers cognitive responses to messages.
Persuasion – how do marketers change attitudes?
The basic psychological principles of persuasion that influence people to change their minds include:
| Principle | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Reciprocity | Reciprocity is based on the notion that we are more likely to give back when we receive first (for example, a free sample or gift). Think back to when you received a free sample and how that influenced your buying behaviour. |
| Scarcity | Scarcity explains why consumers value limited editions or one-off exclusive items or act when advertisers use terms such as almost sold out, only one sale item left. |
| Authority | Consumers also trust authoritative sources more, which explains why issues argued by institutions such as The New York Times can influence shifts in consumer attitudes. |
| Commitment/consistency | Commitment/consistency is earning customer loyalty by requesting a commitment to something, such as sharing a post on Facebook to join Lite n’ Easy. The commitment is voluntary, and encouraging customers to say they will do something is an important start to future interactions. |
| Liking | Liking builds on the notion that we tend to agree and conform more with those we like and admire. |
| Consensus | Consensus is about considering what other people do before we make decisions. |
Learning task 1: Attitude changes through perspective marketing
Watch the following two videos to further enhance your understanding of how marketers change attitudes through persuasive marketing.
- SciShow Psych 2017, How Ads (and People) Persuade You streaming video, YouTube.
- Meeting of the Masters 2021, Marketing Persuasion with behavioural psychologist Michael Barbera, streaming video, YouTube.
Record some notes in your reflective journal.
Learning task 2: Persuasive messaging strategies
Imagine you are the Marketing Manager of Audi, and you have been tasked with designing an advertising campaign for a new convertible car targeted at a young audience. Refer to page 309 of the prescribed text, answer the questions and craft a few persuasive messages for your designated target audience.
Knowledge check
Complete the following two (2) tasks. Click the arrows to navigate between the tasks.
Key takeouts
Congratulations, we made it to the end of the topic. Some key takeouts from Topic 8:
- Attitudes can be changed by two different routes to persuasion, namely the central route and peripheral route depending on the degree of the consumers’ cognitive elaboration.
- The central route requires thought and cognitive processing and usually comes into play when consumers are highly involved for high-risk purchases.
- The peripheral route, which requires relatively little thought and information processing, occurs during less important purchases. This is known as the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion.
- Communication is the process of transmitting advertisement messages. The components are sender, receiver, medium, message and importantly, feedback.
- Feedback determines whether the intended message was received. The sender (advertiser) encodes its messages using words, pictures, symbols, celebrities, spokespersons, and persuasive appeals. For the message to be considered persuasive, the receivers must readily decode the messages as the sender has intended.
- Communications can be either impersonal or interpersonal, and both can be persuasive. The persuasiveness depends on the source's credibility, attractiveness, honesty, and objectivity for the receiver to trust and believe the message.
- Barriers that influence the accuracy with which consumers interpret messages include selective exposure (consumers selectivity in paying attention) and how cluttered the environment is (also referred to as psychological noise).
- The effectiveness of a message can be enhanced through verbal and non-verbal communication, inclusion of fear, humour, sexual references, repetition, using emotional or rational appeal, and presentation of both sides of the argument.
Welcome to your seminar for this topic. Your lecturer will start a video stream during your scheduled class time. You can access your scheduled class by clicking on ‘Live Sessions’ found within your navigation bar and locating the relevant day/class or by clicking on the following link and then clicking 'Join' to enter the class.
Click here to access your seminar.
The following learning tasks will be completed during the seminar with your lecturer. Should you be unable to attend, you will be able to watch the recording, which can be found via the following link or by navigating to the class through ‘Live Sessions’ via your navigation bar.
Click here to access the recording. (Please note: this will be available shortly after the live session has ended.)
In-seminar learning tasks
The in-seminar learning tasks identified below will be completed during the scheduled seminar. Your lecturer will guide you through these tasks. Click on each of the following headings to read more about the requirements for each of your in-seminar learning tasks.
The lecturer will start off with a re-cap on pre-seminar learning tasks for Topic 8.
For this learning task, your lecturer will assign you to a breakout room where each student will add a question to a shared Microsoft Word document. Your questions should reflect a concept from Topic 8 that you do not confidently understand.
You will discuss each question as a group, sharing relevant industry examples and academic articles. A summary of the discussion and answers will be captured by the student who posted the question. Be ready to share the summary with your lecturer during the seminar.
Your lecturer will provide further instructions about this process during your scheduled seminar. If you are unable to attend the seminar, you can complete this activity and add your question to your reflective journal and share it with the lecturer.
Develop a Group Contract for Assessment 3
For this learning task, your lecturer will assign you to your assessments breakout room where you will be able to discuss the contents of your group contract for Assessment 3. The lecturer will make a template available. The group contract is to be shared with the lecturer once completed. Your lecturer will assist you with further instructions on this process during your scheduled seminar. If you are unable to attend the seminar, please get in touch with your assessment group and ensure you have contributed to and signed the contract.
Welcome to your post-seminar learning tasks for this week. Please ensure you complete these after attending your scheduled seminar with your lecturer. Your lecturer will advise you if any of these are to be completed during your consultation session. Click on each of the following headings to read more about the requirements for each of your post-seminar learning tasks.
This learning task will be completed during the consultation session with your lecturer.
Discuss various research components and sources and conduct research to identify the most profitable target segments and relevant consumer behaviour trends for Assessment 3.
For this learning task, your lecturer will assign you to your assessments breakout room where you will work together as a team to conduct relevant research for Assessment 3, which you can capture in the marketing plan. Your lecturer will assist you with further instructions on this process during your scheduled seminar. If you are unable to attend the seminar, you must get in touch with your group to find out the research you can undertake individually to make a contribution to the group assessment.
In your reflective journal, answer the following questions. Hint: This task will assist you with your assessment.
- Describe how you will use persuasion in crafting your communication messages for your marketing plan.
- Describe the market segmentation process and how you will identify the most profitable target market segments. Outline the most profitable target market segments in your marketing plan.
- Describe how you will go about developing your marketing mix and how this will impact the consumer decision making processes. Develop an initial outline of your marketing mix in your marketing plan.
Your group should now have a plan for managing your Assessment 3 workload. You should ensure you have regular meetings and deadlines for drafts so that you are successful in this assessment. Your group can meet with Learning Support to work through group expectations and set up a plan for the assessment.
At this stage, you should be researching content for your marketing plan and working closely with your lecturer.
Each week you will have a consultation session, which will be facilitated by your lecturer. You can join in and work with your peers on activities relating to this subject. These session times and activities will be communicated to you by your lecturer each week. Your lecturer will start a video stream during your scheduled class time. You can access your scheduled class by clicking on ‘Live Sessions’ found within your navigation bar and locating the relevant day/class or by clicking on the following link and then clicking 'Join' to enter the class.
Click here to access your consultation session.
Should you be unable to attend, you will be able to watch the recording, which can be found via the following link or by navigating to the class through ‘Live Sessions’ via your navigation bar.
Click here to access the recording. (Please note: this will be available shortly after the live session has ended.)
Additional content can be found through watching the following videos:
- Big Think 2015, A Simple Mind Trick Will Help you Think More Rationally, Big Think
- Influenceatwork 2017, Cialdini Asks: Dan Ariely, Influence at Work
References
- Entreprenelogy 2021, How to influence buying decisions of your customers with neuromarketing, streaming video, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTXP1pJVBGE
- Influenceatwork 2021, Science of Persuasion, streaming video, You Tube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFdCzN7RYbw
- Khan Academy 2014, Persuasion, attitude change, and the elaboration likelihood model, streaming video, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6oyCeYQWPE
- Learning Psychology 2016, Psychology of Persuasion: “Only a few items left!”, streaming video, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhWjQTK-ZQw
- Magloff, L 2019, Repetition as an Advertisement Technique, CHRON, https://smallbusiness.chron.com/serial-position-effect-advertising-34036.html
- Meeting of the Masters 2021, Marketing Persuasion with Behavioural Psychologist Michael Barbera, streaming video, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRrou91DKLw
- Mothersbaugh, D, Hawkins, DI & Kleiser, SB 2020, Consumer Behavior: Building Marketing Strategy, 14th edn., McGraw-Hill Education
- Pattisall, J & Colburn, C 2021, The Collision of Precision and Persuasion: Rethink The Customer Lifecyle, Forrester, https://www.forrester.com/blogs/the-collision-of-precision-and-persuasion-rethink-the-customer-lifecycle/?utm_source=forbes&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=b2cm21
- Peek, S 2021, The Science of Persuasion: How to Influence Consumer Choice, Business News Daily, https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10151-how-to-influence-consumer-decisions.html
- Schiffman, LG & Wisenblit, JL 2019, Consumer Behavior, 12th edn., Pearson Education Limited.
- SciShow 2017, How Ads (and People) Pursuade You, streaming video, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzevRHUEnVI
- Solomon, MR 2020, Consumer behavior: Buying, Having, and Being, 13th edn., Pearson Education Limited.
