Persuasive Intent Research Articles

Funny “haha” or Funny because I’m Black? Assessing Viewers’ Reactions to Chappelle’s Show

ABSTRACT For years, Dave Chappelle has maintained that the reason he walked away from his eponymous show, and a $50 million dollar contract, was his realization that people were laughing at him, not with him. This study uses online survey data (N = 156) with an embedded media manipulation to quantitatively examine whether or not viewers accurately perceived the persuasive intent of Chappelle’s brand of racial satire and, subsequently, whether or not viewers perceived Chappelle’s statements about race as serious. The data offer empirical support for Chappelle’s concerns, suggesting viewers’ who held more stereotypical perceptions of African Americans were less likely to perceive Chappelle’s critique of racism as serious. These results reinforce the double-edged nature of racial satire.

Greedy or Grateful? Asking for More when Thanking Donors

Charities routinely send “thank you letters” and small gifts to express gratitude to donors but seek to defray these costs by making additional asks for donations and/or engagement. But the “ask for more” can backfire if potential donors perceive persuasive intent in the expression of gratitude, inducing reactance. We hypothesize that such reactance and its impact on giving will vary by donor loyalty. Loyal donors are more likely to experience reactance to additional asks, muting the feeling of reciprocity aroused by the expression of gratitude to suppress giving. In contrast, non-loyal donors are less likely to experience reactance, and therefore more likely to channel the feeling of reciprocity toward giving. We test our hypothesis using a large-scale natural field experiment involving nearly 180,000 past donors to a leading charity in India. We find evidence in support of our hypothesis. We therefore recommend that additional asks only be made to nonloyal donors. Such differentially targeted ask messages based on past donation behavior, using data readily available to charities, can increase overall donation amounts by 12.8-17.5%. Our findings highlight that purely cross-sectional experiments that do not account for past donor/customer history may offer incomplete insight and lead to erroneous managerial implications.

Religion & Democracy: Interactions, Tensions, Possibilities

Religion & Democracy: Interactions, Tensions, Possibilities

Disclosing product placement in audiovisual media services: a practical and scientific perspective on the implementation of disclosures across the European Union

According to the law of the European Union (EU), broadcasters are obligated to inform consumers about the presence of product placements (PP) through disclosures. To ascertain whether disclosures are able to improve consumers’ understanding of persuasive intent, researchers have examined the impact of multiple disclosure presentations. This can be attributed to the fact that all EU Member States currently apply a variety of different disclosures. No study so far, however, has assessed how PP disclosures are implemented across the EU and whether PP disclosures investigated in advertising research relate to disclosures used in practice. In the present study, we thus conducted both a systematic assessment of practical disclosures of leading EU broadcasters and a comparison of the current practical disclosure presentations with the empirically tested versions. Results revealed that especially brand-unspecific and repetitive disclosures are under-investigated forms of disclosures although commonly used in practice. Implications for both science and policy, and future research are discussed.

Development of the Hearing Rehabilitation for Older Adults (HeRO) Healthcare Mobile Application and Its Likely Utility for Elderly Users.

The present study aimed to develop a healthcare application for the elderly who suspect or know they have a hearing loss, namely, the Hearing Rehabilitation for Older Adults (HeRO), which is available in a mobile device, and then to confirm its probability of acceptance among elderly users. Under a web server system, HeRO which had four types of tailored training for the aged auditory system (i.e., syllable, sentence, discourse, working memory) and a self-reported questionnaire to screen amount of the hearing loss was completed for the elderly. To verify whether the HeRO contents and functions were user-friendly to the elderly users, the technology acceptance model (TAM) was used. Forty-four older adults were asked to use the developed application for 10 days and then respond to a TAM questionnaire with 25 items. The Cronbach’s α coefficient of each subcategory was very high. The construct validity of all subcategories showed high eigenvalues using principal component analysis. Furthermore, our regression model statistically supported a persuasive intention to use the healthcare application because the elderly readily accept it and find it easy to manipulate. We expect the current technology to be applied to the general public as well as the elderly who want to explore digital health.

When brands take a stand: the nature of consumers’ polarized reactions to social narrative videos

PurposeA growing number of consumers expect brands to take a stand on social issues. When Gillette launched its video with a social message in 2019, the popular press described it as divisive and controversial. This study aims to examine themes behind the polarized consumer response, aiding brands in the development of social narrative videos.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use an existential-phenomenological approach to investigate the meaning behind consumers’ reactions to the Gillette video. Empirical data collection consisted of 24 semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed using the hermeneutic method.FindingsBy viewing the Gillette video through the lens of a story, this research uncovers how marketing stories can lead to different interpretations. Specifically, the roots of polarization lie in perceived realism activation and character activation. Additionally, product placement may activate persuasive intent, interrupting immersion into the story.Practical implicationsBrand managers should consider the potential for alternative interpretations when using storytelling. By measuring a viewer’s narrative transportation, it is possible to identify different interpretations. From a tactical standpoint, brand managers should be cautious about using celebrity endorsers and prominent product placement in social narrative videos. These cues activate persuasive intent, leading to alternative interpretations.Originality/valueWhile marketing research has tended to focus on storytelling’s positive outcomes, this research considers how stories can result in polarizing outcomes for brands. The concept of social narrative videos is introduced and a framework is presented that outlines facilitators and inhibitors for this type of brand communication.

Evolución de las Relaciones Públicas en España. Artículo de revisión

The first milestones of the history of Public Relations in Spain are listed in order to understand its evolution and current essence and definition. We analyzed the persuasive communication techniques historically used that could already be branded as such (advertising, propaganda, protocol, publicity ...) when the current concept of Public Relations was still lacking. This article presents a conception of Public Relations based on its most persuasive purpose: that of directing Public Opinion. We do not forget the other great current that focuses on the necessary generation of sympathy and understanding between the issuer and the receiving public. Thus, Public Relations are the union of various elements that make up its conceptual and scientific base: Marketing, Prospective, Advertising, Propaganda, Publicity, Sponsorship, Patronage, Corporate Communication, Internal Communication, Public Affairs, Protocol and Lobbying. There are two great influences in the gestation of Public Relations: Advertising (called scientific, educational, social, prestigious...) and Propaganda (commercial, collective...), so we focus on its founding fathers, the teachers and theorists Pedro Prat Gaballí from Advertising, and Francisco García Ruescas from Propaganda. Finally we will review from the fields of associationism, legislation and academics the great moments for the advancement of Spanish Public Relations, since our purpose is also to create a chronology as complete as possible that serves as the basis for future research.

Bus Stops Near Schools Advertising Junk Food and Sugary Drinks.

Children rarely understand the full extent of the persuasive purpose of advertising on their eating behaviours. Addressing the obesogenic environments in which children live, through a quantification of outdoor advertising, is essential in informing policy changes and enforcing stricter regulations. This research explores the proportion of bus stop advertisements promoting non-core food and beverages within walking distance (500 m) from schools in Auckland, New Zealand while using Google Street View. Information was collected on: school type, decile, address, Walk Score®, and Transit Score for all 573 schools in the Auckland region. Ground-truthing was conducted on 10% of schools and showed an alignment of 87.8%. The majority of advertisements on bus shelters were for non-food items or services (n = 541, 64.3%). Of the advertisements that were for food and/or beverages, the majority were for non-core foods (n = 108, 50.2%). There was no statistically significant difference between the variables core and non-core food and beverages and School decile (tertiles), Walk Score (quintiles), and Transit Score (quintiles). 12.8% of all bus stop advertisements in this study promoted non-core dietary options; highlighting an opportunity for implementing stricter regulations and policies preventing advertising unhealthy food and drink to children in New Zealand.

Deflecting resistance to persuasion: exploring CSR message strategies on consumer evaluations

ABSTRACT Awareness of persuasive intent often results in resistance to persuasion. In this study, we investigated conditions under which explicit persuasive intent may not cause resistance to persuasion in CSR message strategies. Specifically, we examined the interplay between persuasive intent and regulatory-framed CSR messages in a marketing communication context. We found that the negative effect of explicit persuasive intent is less pronounced in promotion-focused messages than in prevention-focused CSR messages. Additionally, our mediation analyses further illustrated the persuasion resistance mechanism by showing that the interaction effects of persuasive intent and regulatory focus are serially mediated by the perceived manipulativeness of the CSR message and the brand trustworthiness.

Advertising in disguise? How disclosure and content features influence the effects of native advertising

Abstract Native advertising has recently become a prominent buzzword for advertisers and publishers alike. It describes advertising formats which closely adapt their form and style to the editorial environment they appear in, intending to hide the commercial character of these ads. In two experimental studies, we test how advertising disclosures in native ads on news websites affect recipients’ attitudes towards a promoted brand in a short and long-term perspective. In addition, we explore persuasion through certain content features (i. e., message sidedness and use of exemplars) and how they affect disclosure effects. Results show that disclosures increase perceived persuasive intent but do not necessarily decrease brand attitudes. However, disclosure effects do not persist over time and remain unaffected by content features.

Writing persuasive texts: Using grammatical metaphors for rhetorical purposes in an educational context

ABSTRACT Persuasive language has been described as the language of power. When a person can use persuasive language effectively in speech and writing, it increases their ability to participate and access power in democratic societies. Persuasive writing is one of three key text types in the Australian Curriculum: English, and language features of persuasive text types are taught across the curriculum. Australian students’ ability to write persuasive texts has been assessed in seven of the past nine years of National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing. One of the language features that is considered important in persuasive writing is grammatical metaphor. This paper employs concepts from systemic functional linguistics to examine how ideational grammatical metaphor was used in the 32 highest scoring persuasive texts written by Tasmanian primary and secondary school students for the 2011 NAPLAN test. The results show that high achieving students demonstrated an ability to use ideational metaphor in their persuasive writing from the middle primary school years. This paper aims to provide guidance for Australian primary and secondary school educators by showing how and in what ways high achieving students use grammatical metaphor for persuasive purposes in NAPLAN responses across the tested year levels.

Использование и функционирование фразеологических африканизмов в текстах романов А. Курумы “Les Soleils des Indépendances”, “En attendant le vote des bêtes sauvages” и “Allah n’est pas obligé”

The article examines phraseological Africanisms, in particular, proverbs and sayings used in the French-language novels “Les Soleils des Indépendances (The Suns of Independence)” (1968), “En attendant le vote des bêtes sauvages (Waiting for the Wild Beasts to Vote) (1998)” and “Allah n’est pas obligé (Allah Is Not Obliged) (2000)” by the Ivorian writer A. Kourouma (the native language - Mandinka). The conclusion is made that inclusion of phraseological Africanisms in the literary text results in literary Africanization (Mandingization) of Standard French. It is shown that introducing phraseological Africanisms, the writer pursues argumentative and persuasive purposes.

Aesthetics of Contingency: Writing, Politics, and Culture in England, 1639–89. Matthew C. Augustine. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2018. Pp. xi+269.

<i>Aesthetics of Contingency: Writing, Politics, and Culture in England, 1639–89</i>. Matthew C. Augustine. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2018. Pp. xi+269.

Disclosing Influencer Marketing on YouTube to Children: The Moderating Role of Para-Social Relationship.

Watching online videos is becoming an important part of children’s media diets. Children particularly like content that is specifically created for YouTube by YouTube personalities. Because these personalities have a large reach and are considered likeable and credible, they have become social media influencers. For advertisers, these influencers are an interesting channel to reach youth. Therefore, influencers often embed persuasive sponsored messages in their videos to earn money. However, there are concerns about this practice because it is not always clear when a video includes advertising. Therefore, in several countries, guidelines have been developed that state that sponsoring in influencer videos should be disclosed as such. Until now, little is known about the effects of disclosures for influencer videos on children and the boundary conditions for such effects. Therefore, we investigated the effects of a disclosure of sponsored influencer videos on children’s advertising literacy. Additionally, we examined the consequences of the disclosure for children’s responses to the brand, advertised product, and video. We also included the para-social relationship (PSR) that children experience with an influencer as a possible boundary condition for disclosure effects on persuasion. Our experiment amongst children between 8 and 12 years old showed that, when children correctly recalled the disclosure, the disclosure increased their recognition of advertising, and understanding of selling and persuasive intent. Moreover, advertising literacy evoked by the disclosure affected persuasion: The disclosure enhanced brand memory through ad recognition, but also decreased advertised product desire through understanding the selling intent of the video. Furthermore, the PSR of children with the influencer proved to be a boundary condition for disclosure effects on brand attitudes. Only for those children who experienced moderate to low PSRs with the influencer, the disclosure resulted in less positive brand attitudes through understanding selling intent. For children who experienced a strong PSR with the influencer, the understanding that the content had a selling intent did not affect their brand attitudes. These findings show that a disclosure (if noticed and remembered) can be an effective tool to achieve transparency, but also influences the persuasive outcomes of influencer marketing in online videos.

The Broadcast of the Candidates’ Election Campaign for the 2018 Presidential Election on CRTV: Mediatization of Policy Discourse: Strategy, Forms and Figures

The specificity of media coverage of politicians and their supporters during election campaigns is to produce a speech for informative and persuasive purposes. We therefore assume that these policies have a discursive strategy to achieve their goals. To produce this effect on the receiver of information, the television medium uses a set of means that can be analysed on three levels: the media system, the thematics, and the rhetoric. This case study focuses on the outcomes of the official election campaign broadcast for the presidential election in the Republic of Cameroon and on the Cameroon Radio and Television (CRTV)—a national public service television station.

"It's Just Addictive People That Make Addictive Videos": Children's Understanding of and Attitudes Towards Influencer Marketing of Food and Beverages by YouTube Video Bloggers.

Exposure to influencer marketing of foods and beverages high in fat, sugar, and/or salt (HFSS) increases children’s immediate intake. This study qualitatively explored children’s understanding of, and attitudes towards, this marketing, to elucidate potential mechanisms through which exposure affects behavior. In six focus groups (n = 4) children (10–11 years) were shown a YouTube video featuring influencer marketing of an HFSS product. Inductive thematic analysis identified six themes from children’s discussions of this marketing: (1) YouTubers fill a gap in children’s lives, (2) the accessibility of YouTubers increases children’s understanding of their actions, (3) influencer marketing impacts all—the influencer, the brand, and the viewer, (4) attitudes towards influencer marketing are most affected by a YouTuber’s familiarity, (5) YouTuber influencer marketing is effective because they are not ‘strangers’, (6) children feel able to resist influencer marketing of HFSS products. Children had an understanding of the persuasive intent of this marketing, and although most were sceptical, familiar YouTubers elicited particularly sympathetic attitudes. Children felt affected by influencer marketing of HFSS products, but believed they were able to resist it. Beyond theoretical insight, this study adds to the growing body of evidence to suggest children’s exposure to HFSS influencer marketing should be reduced.

A multi-level contrastive analysis of promotional strategies in specialised discourse

As a consequence of globalisation, small to medium-sized companies are increasingly seeking to promote their products further afield than their home markets. This entails cross-linguistic communication needs, and results in the emergence of text types not thus far addressed in the literature. One such case is that of the herbal tea promotional text (HTPT), in which a herbal tea is described and evaluated with persuasive purposes in mind. This article aims to assist Spanish professionals in writing such texts in English, and to this end will conduct a cross-linguistic multi-level analysis to identify the rhetorical macrostructure and informational-persuasive linguistic features of HTPTs, characterising the promotional strategies that serve to convince a customer to try the product. We carried out two English-Spanish contrastive analyses using ACTEaS_Promo, a purpose-built comparable corpus. Adopting a move-analysis method, the rhetorical analysis reveals a six-move macrostructure, with further steps within. Focusing on the step ‘marketing statement’, we identify pervasive language resources with a primarily persuasive function. Our interpretation of such features reveals six underlying promotional strategies, some of which show statistically different behaviour across the two languages involved, English and Spanish. Whereas English HTPTs seem to favour emotion-laden strategies, Spanish tends to rely on reason-based strategies.

KESELAMATAN UNIVERSAL DALAM WAHYU 7:1-17

Revelation 7: 1-17 give a witness and a vision of the writer of this book about the claim of universal salvation. If it can be viewed in a rhetorical situation, usually the party who opens the communication (speaker / author) tries to convince or influence the listener to accept some specific interpretations or attitudes. That is the reason why an important rhetorical method is used to interpret this text, so that the author's persuasive purposes in this text can be known. Most importantly, when the book of Revelation is understood in the frame of Apocalyptic literature - written in the context of its readers who are experiencing a crisis by various oppressive power pressures, but also the crisis is pleasing with the effort to establish the identity of its beliefs as well as its relevance among the influence of various other different teachings. Thus, the doctrine of universal salvation in the book of Revelation can provide a transformation both for readers of the book of Revelation, but also for readers today who are dealing with issues of identity crisis and relevance.

How can you persuade me online? The impact of goal-driven motivations on attention to online information

Individuals are increasingly using the internet to communicate online with many of their interactions being persuasive. Whilst there is some evidence to suggest that persuasion can occur online it is still unclear as to the underlying mechanisms driving this process. The current study aims to address this by examining individuals’ attention to, and motivations to process, online information. To achieve this, an information recall paradigm was adopted whereby an undergraduate student sample (n = 91) were asked to recall information which had been presented to them in pre-scripted personally-relevant scenarios. Results identified that peripheral (e.g. contextual) cues activated goal-driven motivations significantly increasing attention to message content (i.e. central information) when personal benefits were implied. Conversely, when personal costs were implied these effects were reversed and information processing significantly attenuated. These results serve to reinforce the notion that online information processing is motivated by goal-driven behaviour and are the first to identify how goals impact on information processing. The findings have implications for both organisations and individuals who use the internet for persuasive purposes (e.g. political campaigning) and are discussed in relation to the dominant theories of persuasion and how they can explain online persuasion.

Speaking of character: Character strength references in movies and presidential nomination speeches

ABSTRACT One way in which language can be used for persuasive purposes is through references to personal character, or the lack thereof. A series of lexica reflecting 24 character strengths were developed and combined with existing lexica reflecting virtues and morality. Two studies were conducted to evaluate these lexica. The first compared words in presidential candidate nomination speeches from 1864 to 2016 to election outcomes. Results indicated that candidates’ use of terms related to hope was a better predictor of election outcomes than incumbency. In the second study, both the highest grossing and highest rated films of 2013–2016 included fewer words representing seven of the character variables than a normative database, while the highest grossing films contained more dialog referencing creativity and leadership. These results indicate that lexical analysis can provide a potentially useful tool for understanding the cultural use of positive character terms.