SOURCE FACTORS

This section discusses major characteristics of persuasive communication source. The major types of marketing communication are reviewed first, and factors influencing their persuasiveness are discussed next.

MARKETING COMMUNICATION SOURCE

In a marketing context, several sources can be employed in an attempt to reach consumers with persuasive communications, which can be used alone, in combination to produce a combined source effect on consumers.

Six prominent marketing sources effect is described bellow:

1) Consumer perceives companies as source of information, and some are seen as high credible but others are viewed with suspicion. Most consumers feel that Procter & Gamble is trustworthy company.

2) Consumer views sales representatives as source of information. Also sales people are viewed as knowledgeable (expert) and trustworthy often are more persuasive than those not so highly regarded.

3) Consumers use the media extensively for product information. Although media are actually channel links between companies and consumes (receivers), people view them as source; good house keeping and parents magazine are examples of media that Consumers perceive as credible source of product information.

4) Companies employ individuals as representatives in advertising. In fact, on-camera spokespeople appear in a significant portion of television advertising. Effective hired people are ones who established reputations for themselves.

5) At local level, retailers often act as source for marketing communications. A department store that has a good local reputation may more easily sell unknown brands than less-reputable stores might. Also specialty shops are successful in selling unknown brands because of their perceived expertise in the product line. Such as cameras, rugs, and stereo equipment.

6) There are combined source effects that interact to produce a persuasive impact on consumers. Therefore, producers must carefully select hired promoters, media, and retailers to deliver persuasive brand messages.

INFLUENCE ON SOURCE EFFECTIVENESS

A variety of factors can influence the persuasiveness of those who transmit marketing communications. Among many factors influencing the credibility of a source to change attitudes is his credibility. This section reviews these major influences.

CREDIBILITY AND ITS EFFECTS

The most investigated source factor in persuasion is credibility. A long-held conclusion from early research studies has been that highly credible sources achieve greater attitudes change among consumers that those having less credibility. Marketer should be careful to note that credibility rests in the eyes of receivers. That is, receivers must perceive a source as credible, regardless of whether or not he actually is honest, trustworthy, knowledgeable, and so on.

This general finding about the effectiveness of highly credible source for generating attitude change reflects common sense to many of us. However more recent evidence suggests that the impact of source credibility is complex, depending on a number of specific conditions.

INFLUENCE OF RECEIVER’S OPINION

The initial opinion of audience members appears to be one important influence on the impact of source credibility. Specifically, when receivers already hold opinions that are opposite to those presented in a message, a highly credible source is likely to generate more attitude change than will source a lower credibility. However, when audience opinions already favor positions to be presented in a message, then highly credible sources have not been found more effective than source of lower credibility in generating attitude change.

There are two types of consumer’s responses

1) Counter arguments –thoughts stored in long-term memory that are used to contradict aspects of the message being received.Receivers generate counter arguments when message oppose their initial opinions.

2) Support arguments -- thoughts stored in long-term memory that are used to support aspects of the received message.Support arguments are developed for message consistent with initial positions.

MESSAGE DISCREPANCY CONDITIONS

Highly discrepant message do not completely oppose receivers initial opinions, but are quite deviant from the receivers’ beliefs. Marketer faces such conditions when whey wishes to demonstrate extraordinary products that differ considerably from current beliefs in the target market. Similar to the situation of negative initial opinions, very credible source are most effective in achieving attitude change for highly discrepant message. For messages of little discrepancy, counter arguments are less likely, while support arguments will be more prevalent. Therefore, under such conditions less-credible source can be effective in achieving attitude change.

If the marketer can achieve a high-credibility standing in the target market, discrepant promotional claims can be employed to yield considerable change. However, very high levels of credibility are often difficult to achieve.

LOW-CREDIBILITY EFFECTIVENESS

There is a situation-when audience members hold initial opinions that are in agreement with points to be made in the message. A second situation appears to be when the marketer wishes to change consumers behavior directly and have this lead to later attitude change.

In other situations, high credibility may be most effective in changing attitudes, but using a less-credible source is more feasible. Here, a potential strategy is to improve the amount of attitude change that can be achieved with a low-credibility source. One way to accomplish is to develop a situation in which the source will argue against there own self-interest.

A low-credibility source also can increase his persuasiveness if he is identified after, rather than before presenting his message because an audience will attend to the message if they do not know he is a low-credibility source. Otherwise, they will selectively ignore the presentation if they strongly suspect his credibility.

THE SLEEPER EFFECT

Research evidence suggests that the initial effect can dissipate rather rapidly. However, a startling finding of early research was that an audience exposed initially to a low-credibility source develops opinions more closely in line with the source as time pass. This result becomes known as the “sleeper effect”. Consideration of both findings would lead one to predict as time passes, opinion change achieved by high- and low-credibility sources would tend towards equality.

The explanation offered for these findings it that receivers tend to forget message sources more rapidly than they forget message contents. Thus, as the “enhancing” and “depressing” effects of high- and low-credibility sources dissipate, what will tend to remain is message content, which is the same in both cases of high- and low-credibility.

BASES OF CREDIBILITY

There are five major bases of credibility1) Trustworthiness2) Expertise3) Status or prestige4) Likeability5) Physical characteristics

If the source is views as honest or Trustworthy by audience then it will be perceived as more credible that is based on the degree that how they manipulate it. If the audience believes that that the communicator, no matter how generally honest, has something to gain personally by her message, then their persuasive attempts will lose effectiveness.

Another basis of source credibility is perceived expertise. When an audience views a communicator as having higher qualifications than other to speak on the topic, he will be more persuasive than a person viewed as less qualified. This is why experts in a field related to a company’s product often are used to promote its brands.

A communicator whom an audience perceives as high in Status or prestige is often more credible than one perceived as low in these attributes

The Physical characteristics can also influence their credibility, although their effect on actual behavior is less well documented. For example, age, gender, color, dress, and likeability as well as general attractiveness can affect source credibility.

ATTITUDE OF THE COMMUNICATOR

A communicator is more persuasive when it has a positive attitude towards himself, his message, and his receiver. In marketing, sales representative who has positive attitude toward him is one who has self-confidence that is perceived by the prospective buyer and can influence the decision to buy.

SIMILARITY WITH AUDIENCE

Another finding regarding communication source is that a communicator persuades People more they perceive to be similar to themselves. That is, people seem to be influenced by others who are like themselves. Similarity can be perceived in variety of ways, such a personality, race, interests, self image, and group affiliations this has led marketer to use so-called slice-of- life advertisement in many cases