Persuasive Communication
Week 1:
Van Der Lee (1999)
Persuasion models:
● Consisted of a hierarchy of effects
● AIDA model (1898)
○ attract Attention, maintain Interest, create Desire, get Action
○ These types of models are:
■ too rigid as it doesn’t acknowledge the bypassing or rearranging of steps,
which happens irl & too rational
■ Unrealistic in how it views the receiver of the message as passive
+ McGuire (1989) + Microlecture
● McGuire’s Communication/Persuasion Matrix
→ to achieve the desired final effect: permanent behaviour change
○ Input factors (AKA, components which a communication can be constructed)
■ Source: characteristics of perceived communicator
● Number, unanimity, demographics, attractiveness, credibility
■ Content/Message: communication itself, verbal and non-verbal
● Type appeal, type information, inclusion/omission, organization,
repetitiveness, delivery style (e.g. humor, use of figurative
language, speed of speech, etc.)
■ Channel: type of media, medium
● Modality, directness, context, audio vs visual, written vs spoken
words
■ Receiver: audience
● Demographics, ability, personality, lifestyle
■ Target/destination: type of change the communication is designed to
establish
● immediate vs long term, specific issue vs whole ideological system
1
,○ Some output steps/factors (components that play into the influence of message on
receiver, varying from mere exposure to message to a stable behavioral change) in
the approximate order that they occur
■ Exposure
● opportunity to see an ad (doesn't mean you actually see it)
■ Primary attention: seeing the message and comprehending it
● “Minimal cognitive activity during which the receiver decides to
continue or terminate the established contact with the stimulus.”
■ Secondary attention: paying further attention; choosing to focus on the
message with higher cognitive activity
● “The process of sense perception of the advertising execution with
a certain direction and duration that is consciously chosen by the
receiver.”
■ Attitude towards ad
● Liking or disliking the ad
● Often, liking of the ad → liking of the brand
■ Interest in and appreciation of the message: arousal/interest in the
product and/or the advertisement
2
, ■ Comprehending its content
■ Elaborating on the content (generating cognitions): recipient performs
effortful cognitive activity to scrutinize the issue/message and think about
it for themselves
■ Attitude towards message content: attitude towards brand
■ Agreeing with the communication position (attitude towards content)
● Definition of attitude: an evaluative response to an object, person
or idea represented in memory which has an affective, cognitive,
and/or behavioral component
● Overall attitude = attitude towards ad (AKA likability) + attitude
towards brand (developed through interest in the product and the
communication as a whole)
■ Storage into memory + Retrieving from memory
● Measured through recall (tends to underestimate effect) or
recognition (tends to overestimate effect)
■ Behavioural intention/decision making
■ Behaviour:
● acting in accord with the decision made
■ Evaluation of behaviour
■ Permanent behaviour change
○ Matrix also has hierarchical steps, but this is just a logical order and it’s not very
rigid (steps can be bypassed, e.g.)
○ only meant to be used as a framework and doesn’t outright say the effects of
different input factors (no explanatory power)
● Matrix makes you aware;
○ Of the cumulative effects of input factors & of how input factors interact
○ That behavioural change is a process
○ Enables you to systematically overview the scientific knowledge on the effects of
each input factor on output factors
○ Helps you see weak spots of some input factors, which other input factors might
help you solve
6 Common fallacies in persuasion campaigns:
● Attenuated-effects fallacy: the probability that the communication will evoke each of
the twelve output steps is conditional upon the occurrence of all preceding steps
● Successful influencing each output step is dependent on the success at the previous steps
● `
3
, ○ THEREFORE, expect small effects
● Distant-measure fallacy: just because the first couple steps are reached, doesn’t mean
the latter steps will be
○ E.g., exposure ≠ behavioral change
■ If your goal is to sell, do not evaluate based on exposure (reach)
○ Match campaign objectives and evaluation- if want to sell, measure additional
sales - that can be attributed to campaign exposure
● Neglected-mediator fallacy: forgetting that a positive effect on some steps may
negatively affect subsequent steps, outweighing its benefits
○ An input element may increase success at one output step, but decrease it at
another step
■ E.g highly educated → comprehend better → but can generate -ve own
thoughts → more difficult to persuade → less attitude change
● Compensatory principle: If an input element has a negative effect on a certain output
step, this can be compensated by a more positive effect on another step (reverse of
neglected-mediator fallacy)
○ E.g although highly educated people tend to generate more own critical thoughts,
they may pay more attention to the message, ∴comprehend it better
● Golden mean principle: a communication input can affect an ultimate persuasive impact
in opposite directions (as seen with the compensatory principle and neglected mediator
fallacy) through different mediating steps, leading to an inverted U-relationship between
input and impact
○ Therefore, choose the golden mean (i.e. apply input elements at an intermediate
level). For example, not too little humour but not too much humour (may take
away the attention from the brand advantages) but just the right humour to get the
best output.
● Situational-weighting principle: one can use the McGuire matrix to find the golden
mean, by checking off which/how many output factors the input variable enhances vs
inhibits. Then, one can deduce the optimal level
Alternative-routes variants of the input/output model:
● No strict hierarchical order must be followed, steps can be skipped/ short-cuts
● One can enter the same step multiple times (loops)
○ E.g. highly involved people may need several exposures in order to be persuaded
● Steps can be followed in the reverse order
○ E.g. people who buy the brand first and then appreciate it, which makes them
appreciate ads more (e.g. when i thrift something from a certain unknown brand,
and then start to appreciate it more → see brand ad, then +ve attitude towards ad)
● Elaboration likelihood model emphasizes whether the audience will go through all 12-13
steps to persuasion or not, and whether they do so alters the input-output relationship
4
Week 1:
Van Der Lee (1999)
Persuasion models:
● Consisted of a hierarchy of effects
● AIDA model (1898)
○ attract Attention, maintain Interest, create Desire, get Action
○ These types of models are:
■ too rigid as it doesn’t acknowledge the bypassing or rearranging of steps,
which happens irl & too rational
■ Unrealistic in how it views the receiver of the message as passive
+ McGuire (1989) + Microlecture
● McGuire’s Communication/Persuasion Matrix
→ to achieve the desired final effect: permanent behaviour change
○ Input factors (AKA, components which a communication can be constructed)
■ Source: characteristics of perceived communicator
● Number, unanimity, demographics, attractiveness, credibility
■ Content/Message: communication itself, verbal and non-verbal
● Type appeal, type information, inclusion/omission, organization,
repetitiveness, delivery style (e.g. humor, use of figurative
language, speed of speech, etc.)
■ Channel: type of media, medium
● Modality, directness, context, audio vs visual, written vs spoken
words
■ Receiver: audience
● Demographics, ability, personality, lifestyle
■ Target/destination: type of change the communication is designed to
establish
● immediate vs long term, specific issue vs whole ideological system
1
,○ Some output steps/factors (components that play into the influence of message on
receiver, varying from mere exposure to message to a stable behavioral change) in
the approximate order that they occur
■ Exposure
● opportunity to see an ad (doesn't mean you actually see it)
■ Primary attention: seeing the message and comprehending it
● “Minimal cognitive activity during which the receiver decides to
continue or terminate the established contact with the stimulus.”
■ Secondary attention: paying further attention; choosing to focus on the
message with higher cognitive activity
● “The process of sense perception of the advertising execution with
a certain direction and duration that is consciously chosen by the
receiver.”
■ Attitude towards ad
● Liking or disliking the ad
● Often, liking of the ad → liking of the brand
■ Interest in and appreciation of the message: arousal/interest in the
product and/or the advertisement
2
, ■ Comprehending its content
■ Elaborating on the content (generating cognitions): recipient performs
effortful cognitive activity to scrutinize the issue/message and think about
it for themselves
■ Attitude towards message content: attitude towards brand
■ Agreeing with the communication position (attitude towards content)
● Definition of attitude: an evaluative response to an object, person
or idea represented in memory which has an affective, cognitive,
and/or behavioral component
● Overall attitude = attitude towards ad (AKA likability) + attitude
towards brand (developed through interest in the product and the
communication as a whole)
■ Storage into memory + Retrieving from memory
● Measured through recall (tends to underestimate effect) or
recognition (tends to overestimate effect)
■ Behavioural intention/decision making
■ Behaviour:
● acting in accord with the decision made
■ Evaluation of behaviour
■ Permanent behaviour change
○ Matrix also has hierarchical steps, but this is just a logical order and it’s not very
rigid (steps can be bypassed, e.g.)
○ only meant to be used as a framework and doesn’t outright say the effects of
different input factors (no explanatory power)
● Matrix makes you aware;
○ Of the cumulative effects of input factors & of how input factors interact
○ That behavioural change is a process
○ Enables you to systematically overview the scientific knowledge on the effects of
each input factor on output factors
○ Helps you see weak spots of some input factors, which other input factors might
help you solve
6 Common fallacies in persuasion campaigns:
● Attenuated-effects fallacy: the probability that the communication will evoke each of
the twelve output steps is conditional upon the occurrence of all preceding steps
● Successful influencing each output step is dependent on the success at the previous steps
● `
3
, ○ THEREFORE, expect small effects
● Distant-measure fallacy: just because the first couple steps are reached, doesn’t mean
the latter steps will be
○ E.g., exposure ≠ behavioral change
■ If your goal is to sell, do not evaluate based on exposure (reach)
○ Match campaign objectives and evaluation- if want to sell, measure additional
sales - that can be attributed to campaign exposure
● Neglected-mediator fallacy: forgetting that a positive effect on some steps may
negatively affect subsequent steps, outweighing its benefits
○ An input element may increase success at one output step, but decrease it at
another step
■ E.g highly educated → comprehend better → but can generate -ve own
thoughts → more difficult to persuade → less attitude change
● Compensatory principle: If an input element has a negative effect on a certain output
step, this can be compensated by a more positive effect on another step (reverse of
neglected-mediator fallacy)
○ E.g although highly educated people tend to generate more own critical thoughts,
they may pay more attention to the message, ∴comprehend it better
● Golden mean principle: a communication input can affect an ultimate persuasive impact
in opposite directions (as seen with the compensatory principle and neglected mediator
fallacy) through different mediating steps, leading to an inverted U-relationship between
input and impact
○ Therefore, choose the golden mean (i.e. apply input elements at an intermediate
level). For example, not too little humour but not too much humour (may take
away the attention from the brand advantages) but just the right humour to get the
best output.
● Situational-weighting principle: one can use the McGuire matrix to find the golden
mean, by checking off which/how many output factors the input variable enhances vs
inhibits. Then, one can deduce the optimal level
Alternative-routes variants of the input/output model:
● No strict hierarchical order must be followed, steps can be skipped/ short-cuts
● One can enter the same step multiple times (loops)
○ E.g. highly involved people may need several exposures in order to be persuaded
● Steps can be followed in the reverse order
○ E.g. people who buy the brand first and then appreciate it, which makes them
appreciate ads more (e.g. when i thrift something from a certain unknown brand,
and then start to appreciate it more → see brand ad, then +ve attitude towards ad)
● Elaboration likelihood model emphasizes whether the audience will go through all 12-13
steps to persuasion or not, and whether they do so alters the input-output relationship
4
