Credible Communicator Message 1- This message uses attractiveness and similarity as strong persuasive characteristics. Jessica Alba’s beauty and attractiveness evokes an approachable air about her, which allows people to think that anything she endorses is trustworthy. Another strong characteristic, in fact the strongest one there is, is similarity. Jessica Alba is considered racially ambiguous, which allows many people to feel like she is relatable amongst multiple ethnicities. Since smoking is such a global issue, using a spokesperson who can relate to multiple ethnicities is beneficial and effective.
Credible Communicator Message 2- This message is the perfect blend of the two major source characteristics: Expertise and Trustworthiness. Since Dr. Pinsky is a licensed physician and is board certified, he would be considered an expert in the field of health. Since entering our homes through television a few years ago, Dr. Drew has been regarded as a very trustworthy person, someone who will always give you the facts. If a doctor has already told you how bad smoking is, maybe his persona and reputation will be the extra push needed in order to take these recommendations to heart. This type of credibility might be more effective for individuals who are not so familiar with the effects of smoking or who have not really taken the time to think about it too much.
Fear-Inducing Message- This message begins by describing that the action, in this case smoking, can increase the readers' risk of heart and lung disease. Then, the message states that it is likely that the event will happen if their behavior isn't altered. After this, the message reassures the audience that the risk will decrease if they do quit smoking. Even though there are no simple steps for quitting smoking, the message provides readers with a few steps they can take to alter their behavior (take chantix, use nicorette, etc). They will be more likely to alter their behavior for the better if they are scared by the prospect of disease caused by smoking, hence the point of the fear message. As discussed in class, a fear message will only be effective if it includes the four steps described above.
Peripheral Route Processing- PRP says that if the audience is inattentive (distracted by something else), then they will barely think about the message and make a snap decision. This will hopefully get them to engage in the behavior you want. The distractor message is quite simple in this example. The audience will be so caught up in watching the moving image that they will read the message below and, as the theory states, be more receptive to what it has to say. Therefore, because they are distracted, there is no need to get into anything overly elaborate; simply telling them not to smoke is enough. Their Peripheral Route Processing should take care of the rest. (It would be awesome if this really worked!)
Central Route Processing- According to Cognitive Response Analysis Theory, the second kind of response is Central Route Processing. In this kind of response, people think about a decision a lot and then make the decision. Through Two-Sided Communications, one tries to persuade by attempting to induce Central Route Processing. Two-Sided Communications are achieved by executing the following three steps:
1. Give your side of the story2.Give Someone else's opinion3. Show why the other person is wrong.
This type of persuasion works best for individuals who already know a lot about the topic or perhaps know a lot about your opinion's opposing opinion.
