Because learning changes everything.

CHAPTER 6
Source,
Message, and
Channel Factors

© McGraw Hill LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw Hill LLC.
 Learning Objectives

LO6-1 Discuss the variables in the communication system

and how they influence consumers’ processing of
promotional messages.

LO6-2 Identify decision factors involved in selecting a source

for a promotional message.

LO6-3 Compare the different types of message structures

and appeals that can be used in advertising.

LO6-4 Explain how different types of channels influence the

marketing communications process.

© McGraw Hill 2
 Promotional Planning through the Persuasion Matrix 1

Persuasion Matrix
• Helps marketers see how each controllable element interacts with
consumers’ response process.
• Two sets of variables:
• Independent variables: Controllable components of the communication
process.

• Dependent variables: Steps receiver goes through in being persuaded.

© McGraw Hill 3
 Figure 6-1 The Persuasion Matrix

Access the text alternative for slide images.

© McGraw Hill 4
 Promotional Planning through the Persuasion Matrix 2

Decisions Evaluated with the Persuasion Matrix

• Receiver/comprehension:
• Can the receiver comprehend the ad?

• Channel/presentation:
• Which media vehicles should be used to present the advertising
message?

• Message/yielding:
• What type of message will create favorable attitudes or feelings?

• Source/attention.
• Who will be effective in getting consumers’ attention?

© McGraw Hill 5
 Source Factors 1

Sources
• Person involved in communicating a marketing message.

• Direct source:

• Delivers message and/or endorses product or service.

• Indirect source:

• Draws attention to and enhances appearance of ad.

© McGraw Hill 6
 Source Factors 2

Source Credibility
• Credibility:
• Expertise: Recipient sees source as having relevant knowledge, skill, or
experience.

• Trustworthiness: Recipient trusts source to give unbiased, objective

information.

• Internalization: Adopting the opinion of a credible communicator and

believing information from that source is accurate.
• May become internalized into receiver’s belief system.

© McGraw Hill 7
 Figure 6-2 Source Attributes and Receiver Processing
Modes

Access the text alternative for slide images.

© McGraw Hill 8
 Source Factors 3

Source Credibility continued

• Enhanced by:
• Applying expertise.

• Applying trustworthiness.

• Using corporate leaders as

spokespeople.

In this ad, Dove promotes the fact that it

is recommended by experts in skin care.

© McGraw Hill Source: Dove by Unilever. 9

 Exhibit 6-3

James Dyson is considered one of the most

effective CEO spokespersons.

© McGraw Hill Source: Dyson, Inc. 10

 Source Factors 4

Source Credibility continued

• Limitations of credible sources:
• High- and low-credibility sources are equally effective when arguing
for a position opposing their own best interest.

• Sleeper effect: Persuasiveness of a message increases with

passage of time.

© McGraw Hill 11
 Source Factors 5

Source Attractiveness
• Attractiveness: Characteristic that encompasses similarity, familiarity,
and likability.
• Identification: Receiver is motivated to seek some type of
relationship with a source.
• Adopts similar beliefs, attitudes, preferences, or behavior.

• If source changes position, receiver might also change.

© McGraw Hill 12
 Source Factors 6
Source Attractiveness continued
• Source characteristics:
• Applying similarity. (relatability)

• Communicator and receiver with similar needs, goals, interests, and

lifestyles.

• Consumer feels empathy for person in commercial.

• Using everyday people that customers can easily identify with.

• Applying likability: Using celebrities.

• Movie stars, athletes, musicians, public figures.

• Stopping power: Draw attention in cluttered media environment.

• Enhance customer’s view of product or service image or performance.

© McGraw Hill 13
 Exhibit 6-5

Most golf equipment

manufacturers have
endorsement deals
with professional
golfers, such as shown
in this ad for Srixon’s Z
Star Series golf ball
featuring pro golfer,
Hideki Matsuyama.

© McGraw Hill Source: SRI Sports Limited 14

 Source Factors 7

Source Attractiveness continued

• Limitations of using celebrities:
• Overshadowing the product.

• Overexposure.

• Target audiences’ receptivity.

• Risk to the advertiser.

• Return on investment must be Under Armour recently collaborated

considered. with Dwayne Johnson to create a new
product line called “Outlaw Mana”
which features a full line of clothing
and shoes for both men and women.

© McGraw Hill Source: Under Armour, Inc. 15

 Source Factors 8

Source Attractiveness continued

• Understanding the meaning of celebrity endorsers.
• Perspective on celebrity endorsement developed by Grant McCracken.
• Celebrities’ effectiveness as endorsers depends on culturally acquired
meanings they bring to endorsement.
• A celebrity brings their meaning and image into ad and transfers them
to the product.
• The meanings a celebrity gives to the product are transferred to the
consumer.
• Advertising industry refers to the cultural meaning that a celebrity
spokesperson brings as “borrowed equity.”

© McGraw Hill 16
 Figure 6-3 Meaning Movement and the Endorsement
Process

Access the text alternative for slide images.

© McGraw Hill 17
 Choosing a Celebrity Endorser 1

Celebrity Factors
• Match with audience and product/brand.
• Overall image.
• Cost.
• Trustworthiness.
• Risk of controversy.
• Familiarity and likability.
• Choice between celebrity or social media influencer.
• Companies use Q-scores and other research methods.

© McGraw Hill 18
 Choosing a Celebrity Endorser 2

Applying Likability Decorative Models

• Draw attention to ads with physically attractive people.
• Passive/decorative models rather than active communicators.

• Some products (for example, cosmetics) benefit since physical

appearance is relevant.

• Might not draw attention to product or message.

• Highly attractive models can have negative impact.
• Some companies undermine traditional approach to beauty care:
you’re beautiful just the way you are.

© McGraw Hill 19
 Exhibit 6-10

Dove takes a social advocacy approach in promoting its beauty

products. Since 2004, Dove has run the “Campaign for Real Beauty”
which is designed to appeal to everyday women and offer a broader,
healthier, and more democratic view of beauty.

© McGraw Hill Source: Unilever 20

 Choosing a Celebrity Endorser 3

Source Power
• When a source can administer rewards and punishments to a
receiver.
• Depends on source’s perceived control, perceived concern, and
perceived scrutiny.
• Compliance: To obtain favorable reaction or avoid punishment.
• Receiver accepts the source’s persuasive influence and acquiesces to
source’s position.

• Difficult to apply in advertising; more likely in personal communication.

© McGraw Hill 21
 Message Factors 1

Message Structure
• Order of presentation:
• Strongest arguments presented early or late in message but not in the
middle.

• Primacy effect: Information presented first is most effective.

• Recency effect: Arguments presented last are most persuasive.

• Where to place depends on:

• Target audience’s receptivity to message.

• Length of message.

• Medium used to communicate message.

© McGraw Hill 22
 Figure 6-4 Ad Message Recall as a Function of Order of
Presentation

© McGraw Hill 23
 Message Factors 2

Message Structure continued

• Conclusion drawing:
• Messages should either explicitly draw a firm conclusion or allow receivers
to draw their own conclusions.

• Messages with explicit conclusions are more easily understood and

effective in influencing attitudes.

• Depends on:

• Target audience.

• Type of issue or topic.

• Nature of the situation.

© McGraw Hill 24
 Message Factors 3

Message Structure continued

• Message sidedness:
• One-sided message: Mentions only positive attributes or benefits,
effective when target audience:

• Already holds a favorable opinion about the topic.

• Is less educated.

• Two-sided message: Presents both good and bad points, effective when
target audience:

• Holds an opposing opinion.

• Is highly educated.

© McGraw Hill 25
 Exhibit 6-13

Volkswagen used a
two-sided advertising
message that
acknowledges the
diesel scandal as part
of an ad campaign for
electric vehicles.

© McGraw Hill Source: Volkswagen of America, Inc. 26

 Message Factors 4

Message Structure continued

• Refutation:
• Refutational appeal:
Communicator presents both
sides of issue and then refutes
opposing viewpoint.

A refutational appeal was used by

SeaWorld to defend itself against
criticism by PETA and other animal
activist groups.

Access the text alternative for slide images.

© McGraw Hill Source: SeaWorld 27

 Message Factors 5

Message Structure continued

• Verbal versus visual messages:
• Pictures commonly used to
convey information or reinforce
copy or message claims.

This ad for Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water

uses a beautiful visual image of the mountains to
communicate the key product attribute of purity.

© McGraw Hill Source: Arrowhead by Nestle Waters North America 28

 Message Factors 6

Message Appeals
• Comparative advertising:
• Directly or indirectly naming competitors in an ad and comparing one or
more attributes.

BodyArmor uses comparative advertising to challenge

Gatorade in the sports drink market.

© McGraw Hill Source: BA Sports Nutrition, LLC 29

 Message Factors 7

Message Appeals
• Comparative advertising: continued
• So common, their attention-getting value has declined.

• Consider how comparative messages affect credibility.

• Often used to:

• Position new brands against market leaders.

• Differentiate high-profile brands in a competitive marketplace.

• Show candidate differences in political advertising.

© McGraw Hill 30
 Message Factors 8
Message Appeals continued
• Fear appeals:
• Evoke emotional response to a
threat and arouse individuals to take
steps to remove threat.

• Stress physical danger.

• Threaten disapproval or social

rejection.

• Used to discourage unsafe

behaviors.

• Who advocated fear? Think.

The Ad Council uses a fear appeal to
discourage buzzed driving.

© McGraw Hill Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Ad Council 31
 Message Factors 9

Message Appeals continued

• How fear operates:
• Curvilinear: Message acceptance increases as amount of fear used rises
—but only to a point.

• Has both facilitating and inhibiting effects.

• Protection motivation model: Four cognitive appraisal processes mediate

the individual’s response to the threat.

• Fear appeals are more effective when recipient is:

• Self-confident and prefers to cope with dangers.

• A nonuser.

• Monotonic and positive: Higher levels of fear result in greater persuasion.

© McGraw Hill 32
 Figure 6-5 Relationship between Fear Levels and
Message Acceptance

Access the text alternative for slide images.

© McGraw Hill 33
 Message Factors 10

Message Appeals continued

• Humor appeals:
• Often best known and best remembered.

• Humor used for many reasons:

• Attract and hold consumers’ attention.

• Put consumers in a positive mood.

• Distract consumer from counterarguing against the message.

© McGraw Hill 34
 Message Factors 11

Message Appeals continued

• Humor appeals: continued
• Distract from brand and its attributes.

• Difficult to produce and may be too subtle.

• May experience wearout:

• Tendency to lose effectiveness when seen or heard repeatedly.

• Counter by creating “pool-outs.”

© McGraw Hill 35
 Message Factors 12

Message Appeals continued

• Humor appeals: continued
• Must consider type of product or service and audience characteristics.

• More effective when involvement is relatively low.

This Volkswagen ad shows how humor can

be used effectively in a print message as the
porcupine is precisely parked to avoid
popping the goldfish bags.

© McGraw Hill Source: Volkswagen of America, Inc. 36

 Channel Factors 1

Personal versus Nonpersonal Channels

• Information received from personal channels is more persuasive than
from mass media.
Effects of Alternative Mass Media
• Differences in information processing:
• Self-paced—readers process ads at their own rate and study them as long
as they desire.

• Newspapers, magazines, direct mail, and Internet.

• Externally paced—transmission rate is controlled by the medium.

• Radio and television.

© McGraw Hill 37
 Channel Factors 2

Effects of Context and

Environment
• Qualitative media effect:
Influence medium has on
message.
• Media vehicle can affect
reactions to a message.

Travel + Leisure magazine creates an

excellent reception environment for
travel-related ads.

© McGraw Hill Source: Dotdash Meredith 38

 Channel Factors 3

Clutter
• Amount of advertising in a medium.
• TV: All the nonprogram material that appears in broadcast environment.
(Cricket World Cup)

• Major concern among television advertisers.

• Difficult for commercials to attract and hold viewers’ attention and to
communicate effectively.

• Overload theory used to explain why clutter reduces advertising

effectiveness.

• When an individual is overloaded with too many ads at one time, the
absorption of one ad will be at the expense of another.

© McGraw Hill 39
 Channel Factors 4

Clutter continued
• Advertising disengagement
• Lack of excitement, interest, attention, or involvement intended to be
aroused by an advertisement or advertising campaign.

• May have negative impact on brand relationships, commitment, brand

loyalty, message recall and effectiveness, and consumer attitudes toward
an ad.

• Trend toward shorter commercials.

• Several major networks announced they were also reducing the number of
commercials during prime time.

© McGraw Hill 40
 Channel Factors 5

Clutter continued
• Clutter in online advertising
• The online environment “audience” is known as “users.”

• Users have to pay attention to the computer.

• Both a captive medium and a self-paced medium.

• Can result in ad avoidance and disengagement.

© McGraw Hill 41
 End of Main Content

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