PERSUASION SOCIAL INFLUENCE COMPLIANCE GAINING Robert H Gass
PERSUASION SOCIAL INFLUENCE & COMPLIANCE GAINING Robert H. Gass & John S. Seiter
CHAPTER 15 Esoteric Persuasion
COLOR AND PERSUASION Color has symbolic meaning ▪ At birth, girls are wrapped in pink blankets, boys in blue ▪ Patriotic colors ▪ Executives wear “power “colors ▪ Fans identify with sports teams through color ▪ Jobs are categorized as “white collar, ” “blue collar, ” “green collar, ” “pink collar, ” etc. Colors have attitudinal associations ▪ In old westerns, good guys wear white hats, bad guys wear black ▪ Brides wear white to symbolize purity ▪ Red is associated with sexiness ▪ Black attire signifies formality ▪ Going “green” is trendy and eco -conscious
SEEING RED Attitudinal associations with the color red – A red dress is associated with sexiness – The “red pen” effect in grading papers – Stereotypes about redheads or “gingers” – Red is associated with danger, hazards, warnings – A red cross symbolizes a hospital Subbotina Anna/Shutterstock. com; Lamai Prasitsuwan/Shutterstock. com
COLOR AND PERSUASION--continued Color and branding: trademarked colors are associated with specific brands – Mac and white laptops – Mc. Donald’s golden arches – Susan G. Komen foundation pink ribbon Jarretera / Shutterstock. com
COLOR AND EMOTION We often equate colors with moods – seeing red – green with envy – feeling blue – tickled pink – white as a sheet xtock/Shutterstock. com Ambient colors can affect moods, emotions – Primary colors: bold, lively, energetic – Pastels: calming, relaxing – Warm colors; red, yellow, orange – Cool colors; blue, green, purple
SUBLIMINAL INFLUENCE—historical background James Vicary claimed to have flashed the words “eat popcorn” and “Drink Coca-Cola” on a movie screen. He claimed popcorn sales increased 58% and Coke sales increased 18%. Vicary’s experiment was never successfully replicated. He later acknowledged the study was a hoax (Advertising Age, 1962). Drink Coke Eat popcorn DR-images/Shutterstock. com
SUBLIMINAL INFLUENCE Types of subliminal messages – Embedded images: pictures or words that are hidden or flashed quickly (in 100 ths of a second) – Sub-audible messages: sounds or words that are too faint to be heard, or are played at extremely high frequencies – Electronically altered signals: backward masking and other voice alterations
METHODOLOGICAL CONCERNS ▪ Few if any studies have documented any lasting effects from subliminal stimuli lack of control groups ▪ Evidence to date suggests there is no commercial viability possibility of bias or cueing lack of double-blind procedures lack of replication lack of rigorous “blind” review
SUBLIMINAL PRIMING ▪ Subliminal priming has been well documented in controlled laboratory settings. ▪ Commercial applications of subliminal priming have not been demonstrated. ▪ Stimuli can be perceived or processed without conscious awareness. ▪ Flashing “Starbucks” will not make a consumer buy that brand of coffee. ▪ Priming can produce changes in beliefs, attitudes, and behavior.
SUBLIMINAL PRIMING ▪ Priming occurs when a word is flashed quickly, then masked or covered up. ▪ The primed word is shown too quickly to be consciously recognized. ▪ The mask is removed and subjects see how quickly they recognize the word. ▪ Subjects who are primed recognize the word faster than subjects who are not primed. ▪ Importance of prior need or drive
SUBAUDIBLE MESSAGES ▪ There is no proof that subaudible messages (too faint to hear) have any effects on behavior ▪ Claims of weight loss, higher esteem, etc. can be explained by the placebo effect
BACKWARD MASKING & REVERSE SPEECH ▪ There is no proof that reversed speech or “backward masked” recordings have any effect on behavior ▪ The mere presence of backward vocals on records does not prove their effectiveness
NEUROLINGUISTIC PROCESSING (NLP) ▪ NLP is touted by motivational speakers and self-help books ▪ Proponents claim that certain words possess nearly hypnotic power ▪ People supposedly rely on internal representations which favor one sense over another ▪ Words can appeal to visual, kinesthetic (tactile and visceral), auditory, olfactory, gustatory (taste) senses ▪ Claims made about NLP – Representational systems can be “read” via nonverbal cues or “accessing cues” – A person who looks up is relying on visual processing – A person who looks horizontally is relying on auditory processing
NEUROLINGUISTIC PROCESSING (NLP) ▪ There is no evidence that certain words have a hypnotic effect on people ▪ The direction of a person’s gaze is not a reliable sign of his/her thinking process ▪ 7 out of 8 studies examining a link between information processing and eye movements found no evidence supporting NLP’s predictions (Witkowski, 2012, p. 36). ▪ “the vast majority of research studies have not supported either the fundamental tenets or the techniques of NLP” (Witkowski, 2012, p. 37)
MUSIC AND ITS INFLUENCE background music can – affect shopping pace – enhance moods – improve task performance ▪ function as both a central and peripheral cue. ▪ Music is widely used in advertising. ▪ The mere exposure effect – Repeated exposure to a novel stimulus, such as a jingle, increases liking for the stimulus. ▪ Music as a mnemonic device – “Like a good neighbor____ is there” – “break me off a piece of that _____ bar” ▪ background music ▪ affects mood, shopping behavior ▪ risk of habituation (desensitization)
FRAGRACES AND AMBIENT AROMAS ▪ The fragrance industry is selling romance in a bottle. ▪ Fragrances function as peripheral cues. ▪ Studies on the effectiveness of fragrances are mixed. ▪ Aromas have been shown to: – alter moods – improve task performance – make shoppers linger in stores
HUMANS AND SMELL Odor “means” many things. It functions as: ▪ a sexual attractant ▪ a boundary-marker, distance maintainer ▪ a status symbol ▪ a method of identity management ▪ a cultural marker
CULTURE AND SMELL ▪ Preferences for smells are highly idiosyncratic, or individualized. ▪ There is probably no universal agreement on what smells good or bad ▪ Americans’ disdain for body odor ▪ cow dung as a hair care product in Africa ▪ Culture and social conditioning teach individuals what smells to like or dislike.
BACKGROUND FRAGRANCE AND PERSUASION Ambient aromas and consumer behavior – (Crow, 1993) Nike shoe study Helping behavior – Shoppers at a mall were twice as likely to help a stranger in the presence of pleasant odors like roasting coffee or baking cookies. Driving behavior – A pleasant fragrance significantly reduced aggressive driving behavior compared to no fragrance. Medical applications of aroma – Pleasant aromas can reduce anxiety and stress associated with medical tests MRIs, CAT scans, etc. )
FRAGRACES AND AMBIENT AROMAS ▪ Caveats and cautions ▪ Smell preferences are highly idiosyncratic. ▪ Overreliance on smells could produce desensitization. ▪ Smells may result in counter-conditioning (boomerang effect) ▪ Some people are sensitive to smells (allergies, gag reflexes, etc. )
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