Ask them to think of a way that they could persuade them to change the attitude?ĭecisions, Decisions: Tactical Communications Optionsī. Help to determine how and if attitudes will be created or modified.ġ) Persuasion refers to an active attempt to change attitudes.Ģ) Persuasion is a central goal of many marketing communications.ģ) Some psychological principles that function in the persuasion process are:ĭiscussion Opportunity-Have the class think of an attitude that one or both of their parents have. The focus of this chapter is on aspects of communication that specifically Consumers are constantly bombarded by messages inducing them to change theirĪttitudes. Changing Attitudes Through CommunicationĪ. Marketers must learn to account for these differences if they wish to be effective communicators.ġ. The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) specifies that a less-involved consumer will more likely be swayed by source effects, while a more-involved consumer will more likely attend to and process components of the actual message. The relative influence of the source versus the message depends on the receiver’s level of involvement with the communication. Each of these elements is reviewed in this chapter.
Some elements of a message that help to determine its effectiveness are whether it is conveyed in words or pictures, how often the message is repeated, whether an emotional or rational appeal is employed, the frequency with which it is repeated, whether a conclusion is drawn, whether both sides of the argument are presented, and whether the message includes fear, humor, or sexual references. Pros and cons of this approach are reviewed.Ĭharacteristics of the message itself help to determine its impact on attitudes. The study of attractiveness is particularly interesting given the dramatic increase in the usage of celebrities to endorse products. Two particularly important source characteristics are discussed-source credibility and attractiveness. Under most conditions, the source of a message will have a big impact on the likelihood the message will be accepted. Regardless of how or to what extent the consumer receives the message, source effects are an important variable to be considered by the marketer and advertiser. Marketers must keep pace with the rapidly changing communication environment if they wish to reach consumers with their messages and ideas. Consumers have more choices than ever and much more control over which messages they will choose to process. Parts of this model include a source, message, medium, receiver, and feedback.Īlthough the traditional communications model is acceptable, it does not tell the whole story as far as consumer behavior is concerned. A standard model is presented along with ramifications for changing attitudes. To begin this process of change, a good place to start is in understanding communication models. In fact, persuasion refers to an attempt to change attitudes. This chapter focuses on how the marketer can attempt to change attitudes through persuasive and interactive communications. The way a marketer structures his message determines how persuasive it will be.Īudience characteristics help to determine whether the nature of the source or the message itself will be relatively more effective. Several factors influence a message source’s effectiveness.
The consumer who processes such a message is not necessarily the passive receiver of information marketers once believed him to be.
The communications model identifies several important components for marketers when they try to change consumers’ attitudes toward products and services. When students have finished reading this chapter, they should understand why: Chapter 8: Attitude Change and Interactive CommunicationsĪTTITUDE CHANGE AND INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATIONS