Transcript Chapter 4
Prepared by Robert Gass & John Seiter
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CREDIBILITY DEFINED
Definition: “Judgments made by a perceiver concerning
the believability of a communicator” (O’Keefe, 1990)
Credibility is not synonymous with charisma or leadership
Credibility is also referred to as “Ethos”
Credibility is a crucial element in persuasion
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CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS
“Celebritocracy”
We are living in a culture that
worships the rich and famous
Third-Person Effect
People see themselves as less
susceptible to advertising and
others as more susceptible
Meaning Transfer
Perspective:
An endorser’s persona is
projected onto the brand
Usain Bolt and Gatorade
Justin Bieber and Proactiv
The Match-Up Hypothesis:
A good fit between the endorser
and the brand is essential
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FALLING STARS
Celebrity scandals rub off onto the sponsor
Tiger Woods was dropped by Accenture, Buick, Gatorade, and
other sponsors following revelations of marital infidelity
He has since regained $54.5 million in endorsements, but that
is far less than the $105 million he once enjoyed
Michael Phelps Kellogg's dropped him, but Speedo and Subway
stuck with him, after his “bong” photo surfaced
Lance Armstrong was dropped by Nike like after his admission
of doping to win the Tours de France
Rock Ross, of U.O.E.N.O., was dropped by Reebok following
controversy over rape lyrics in songs
Rihanna was dropped by Nivea for being too sexy and too
controversial for their brand
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CREDIBILITY DIMENSIONS
Credibility is a receiver-based phenomenon
Credibility is perceptual, it exists in the eye of the beholder
Credibility is a multi-dimensional construct
it is a composite of multiple factors
Credibility is situational
It varies from one context to another
Credibility is dynamic
It changes over time, even during a short period of time
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PRIMARY DIMENSIONS OF CREDIBILITY
Expertise (competence)
The persuader has knowledge, skills, knows his/her stuff
Trustworthiness (character, integrity)
The persuader is honest, safe, dependable
Goodwill (perceived caring)
The persuader takes a genuine interest in you
Note: William Benoit (2004) says that expertise is the most important of all
three
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PRIMARY DIMENSIONS APPLIED
If you were selecting a surgeon
Expertise: licensed, board
certified
Has performed the operation
numerous times
Trustworthiness:
won’t bill you for unnecessary
procedures
Goodwill:
bedside manner, compassion,
rapport
If you were selecting a mechanic
Expertise: licensed, trained,
experienced
Familiar with your make and
model
Trustworthiness:
honest, won’t rip you off
Goodwill:
friendly, knows your name,
remembers you as a customer
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SECONDARY DIMENSIONS OF CREDIBILITY
There are multiple, secondary dimensions of credibility
Secondary dimensions are more situation specific
Dynamism (extroversion)
A source is energetic, enthusiastic
Composure (poise)
A source is calm, cool, and collected
Sociability (Likeability)
A source is friendly, warm, charming
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THE FACTOR ANALYTIC APPROACH AND THE
REAL WORLD
Employees who rate their managers as high in
“expertise” and “trustworthiness” tend to have
higher morale (Kouzes & Posner, 2011)
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CREDIBILITY AS A PERIPHERAL CUE
Credibility typically
functions as a peripheral
cue in persuasion
Credibility matters more
when receivers have low
involvement
Credibility matters less when
receivers have high
involvement
It’s What’s Up Front that
Counts
A source’s qualifications must
be given prior to presenting
evidence/testimony
Providing source
qualifications afterward may
be ineffective
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THE SLEEPER EFFECT
The persuasiveness of messages changes over time
Most messages lose effectiveness over time
The Sleeper Effect is an exception to the general rule
A message initially advocated by a low credibility source may
increase in persuasiveness over time
The source and the message must be disassociated by using a
discounting cue
Without the “ball and chain” of the low credibility source, the
message becomes more persuasive
Absolute versus Relative sleeper effects
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ILLUSTRATION OF THE SLEEPER EFFECT
Absolute sleeper effect
Relative sleeper effect
Low credibility source
With discounting cue
initial
pre-test
delayed
post-test
High credibility source
Amount of attitude change
Amount of attitude change
High credibility source
Low credibility source
With discounting cue
initial
pre-test
delayed
post-test
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CREDIBILITY AND IMAGE MANAGEMENT
Credibility extends to government agencies, institutions,
organizations, social movements
Institutions have images and reputations to maintain
AIG bailout
IRS and politicized audits
The CIA after September 11, 2001
When an institution’s image is tarnished, it must engage in image
restoration
Hence the importance of PR, media “spin,” community involvement
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CREDIBILITY AND IMAGE MANAGEMENT
Most Admired Companies
Apple
Google
Tarnished Halos
Susan G Komen Foundation, cut off
aid to Planned Parenthood
Amazon
Catholic Church’s priest abuse
scandal
Coca-Cola
White House and Benghazi
IBM
BP oil spill
FedEx
IRS
Berkshire Hathaway
CIA and WMDs in Iraq
Starbucks
Proctor & Gamble
Southwest Airlines
Corporate Social Responsibility
Ronald McDonald House, Make A
Wish Foundation, United Way
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IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT
How would you rate the
credibility of the following
organizations?
American Trial Lawyers
Association
NRA
Congress
United Nations
McDonald’s
Philip Morris
Wal-Mart
Pretend you are the head of
a PR firm representing one
of these companies
What steps would you take
to enhance or restore their
credibility?
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STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING CREDIBILITY
Prepare thoroughly. Never “wing it”
Be organized, fluent, composed
Manage your time carefully
Anticipate likely questions
Cite evidence and source
qualifications
Cite credible sources and evidence
within your presentation
State your own background and
expertise
Demonstrate that you know what you
are talking about
Build trust by identifying
with your audience
Emphasize similarities,
common values, shared
goals
Display goodwill by showing
that you care
Be genuine, authentic
Show you have your
listeners’ interests at heart
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STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING CREDIBILITY
Improve your likeability
be friendly, sociable
Adapt your language style to your
audience
Avoid a powerless style of
communication
“like,” “uhm”
disclaimers, “Can I start over…?”
Increase listener involvement to
promote central processing
receivers with low involvement
tend to pay more attention to
credibility
Have an admired source
introduce you
Emphasize your similarity to your
listeners
shared values, common goals
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