Transcript Chapter 1
PERSUASION, SOCIAL INFLUENCE, &
COMPLIANCE GAINING, 5TH ed.
Prepared by Robert Gass & John Seiter
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AIMS AND GOALS
Understanding how persuasion function by
learning about the how’s and why’s of persuasion
learning about current theories and research on persuasion
examining “real-life” illustrations of persuasion
Understanding that persuasion is both an art and science
People can be stubborn, unpredictable
Even the most well-funded, well-designed persuasive
campaigns may fail
Learning to become a more effective practitioner of
persuasion
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PERSUASION IS NOT A DIRTY WORD
Persuasion has gotten a bad rap
Hucksters, charlatans, unethical advertisers, and unscrupulous
politicians have misused persuasion
Persuasion is sometimes associated with manipulation, brainwashing,
deceit
Non-obvious or accidental influence: social modeling of risk behaviors
in movies
Persuasion is an “art” and a science.
People can be stubborn, unpredictable
Even the most well-funded, well-designed persuasive campaigns may
fail
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PERSUASION IS OUR FRIEND
Persuasion is a positive social force
persuasion helps open closed societies and make
government more transparent
“Always
wear your
helmet.”
persuasion is essential for charities and relief efforts
persuasive campaigns are used to promote public
health and safety
Parents employ persuasion to urge their children to
stay safe, avoid danger
Intimates use persuasion to negotiate relational rules
coaches use persuasion to motivate underdog teams
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PERVASIVENESS OF PERSUASION
Persuasion is omnipresent
The average person sees hundreds of ads
per day
Obvious and not so obvious forms of
persuasion
buzz marketing generates free advertising
word of mouth (WOM) appears more
genuine and authentic
social media enables the use of webtracking and sentiment tracking
Image courtesy of www.freefoto.com
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TIPPING POINTS
Like a virus, word about a product or service
spreads from one consumer to another
Tipping point:
the threshold or critical point at which an idea, product, or
message takes off
Viral theory of marketing:
ideas and messages can be contagious, just like diseases
The law of the few
Large numbers of people are not required to generate a trend
A select few enjoy a disproportionate amount of influence over
others
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TIPPING POINTS: KEY INFLUENCERS
Mavens possess
information, expertise,
and seek to share it
“Mavens are data
banks. They
provide the
message.”
(Gladwell)
Mavens want to
educate more
than persuade or
sell
Connectors know
everybody, are
networkers, have
many contacts
“Connectors are
social glue: they
spread it.” (Gladwell)
They have large
social circles
They are social
gadflies; they blog,
chat, text, twitter
Salespeople are active
advocates
They are charismatic
They are good at
building rapport.
They often rely on
“soft” influence (not
the hard sell).
Note: All three types of
connectors are needed for
a phenomenon to take-off
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TIPPING POINTS: ADDITIONAL FACTORS
Power of context
The idea, message, or
product must happen at
the right time and place
The stickiness factor
The idea, message, or
product has to be “sticky”
or inherently attractive
Scalability
A message must be able to
go from very small to very
large without “gearing up.”
Effortless transfer
the message must be easy
to disseminate
“word of mouse”
leveraging free media
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TIPPING POINTS--CAUTIONS AND CAVEATS
Momentum may not reach the tipping point
No guarantee the initial “buzz” will become
contagious
Difficult to orchestrate word of mouth
Good ideas don’t always gain traction
Trends come and go quickly
Like a contagion, a trend can die out quickly or be
replaced by a new one
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GAMIFICATION
People naturally enjoy playing games
Games are fun, challenging, rewarding
The element of competition increases motivation
Gamification applies principles of game design to engage users
Games capture and hold users’ attention
Points, leaderboards, and badges can increase engagement
Persuaders use games to encourage consumer participation
For example, Nike+ encourages runners to share and compare their
workouts
Drawbacks to gamification
Overuse may lead to boredom, fatigue
Some maintain the practice is exploitative
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PERVASIVENESS OF PERSUASION
Persuasion in the
Sciences
Scientists are actively
involved in persuasion
Over theories and
paradigms
Over methodologies
and research findings
Over grants and
funding
Persuasion in the Arts
Artists seek to shape
public opinion in and
through their work
Picasso’s Guernica
(1937) offers a
moral indictment of
war
Movies can change
attitudes, alter
beliefs, increase
awareness
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PERVASIVENESS OF PERSUASION
Non-obvious Contexts
for Persuasion
Bumper stickers
12 step programs
Intercessory prayer (3rd
party)
Plays and musicals
Panhandling
This homeless person is using humor/satire
as a panhandling strategy (photo by John
Seiter)
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PERVASIVENESS OF PERSUASION
Weird Persuasion
A town changed its name to Dish, Texas
as a buzz marketing ploy
William Shatner’s kidney stone was
auctioned off on eBay
Acne lights were installed to discourage
teen loitering
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PERVASIVENESS OF PERSUASION
Persuasion in interpersonal contexts
Most influence attempts occur in the interpersonal
arena
90% of word-of-mouth (WOM) occurs in offline
settings
Persuasion is most effective in face-to-face contexts
Less obvious or overt
Harder to say “No” in person
Easier to analyze, adapt to one’s audience
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INSTRUMENTAL FUNCTION OF PERSUASION
Improving one’s own persuasive abilities
Persuasion skill is a form of communication
competence
Communication competence requires
effectiveness and appropriateness
Like any skill-set, persuasive skills can be
improved through training and practice
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KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS FUNCTION
Gaining a better understanding of how persuasion
works
Overcoming habitual persuasion:
Individuals are often unaware of their own habitual,
reflexive patterns of persuasion
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DEFENSIVE FUNCTION
Becoming a more savvy, discerning consumer of
persuasive messages
Third person effect; people underestimate the
effects of advertising on themselves
They overestimate the effects of advertising on
others
Being less likely to succumb to high pressure
sales tactics
Exposing unethical strategies and tactics
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DEBUNKING FUNCTION
Dispelling folk-wisdom, false stereotypes, and
“common-sense” misconceptions about
persuasion
gaze avoidance is not a reliable sign of deception
Subliminal influence is ineffective
Learning about non-obvious, counter-intuitive
research findings
The “logic” versus “emotion” distinction represents
a false dichotomy
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TWO CRITICISMS OF PERSUASION
1. Is teaching/learning about persuasion
manipulative?
The study of persuasion is fraught with ethical
concerns
Little of the good in the world could be accomplished
without persuasion
Not studying persuasion, won’t make persuasion go
away
People who claim that persuasion is manipulative are
themselves taking a persuasive stance
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TWO CRITICISMS OF PERSUASION
2. Are persuasion findings inconsistent or
confusing?
Persuasion deserves study because it is
complicated
A number of reliable generalizations have been
uncovered
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