An investigation of the persuasive effects of firm-consumer communication dyads using Facebook

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan Atwood ◽  
Cristian Morosan

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of the effective use of Facebook within the hotel industry. It explored which current Facebook practices are effective/persuasive using the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) as the main theoretical foundation. Design/methodology/approach – Using an experimental design, the effects of consumers’ exposure to treatments, involving different levels of elaboration and source credibility, were examined to determine whether consumer’s process information from Facebook communication through a central or peripheral route. Findings – The results of this research showed that consumer attitudes are affected by the source credibility, but not by the level of elaboration. Also, intentions to stay at the hotel and intentions to engage with the hotel brand via social media were not affected by the level of elaboration or source credibility. Research limitations/implications – This study presents an important step forward in understanding how consumer persuasion takes place in an online environment. Also, this paper provides a first-hand account of the manner in which social media adds value to a business organization. In addition, this paper provides insight on how consumers process online information. Originality/value – As this is the first conceptualization of the ELM in a social media context, this study is uniquely able to explain the concept of persuasion in the hotel industry. Such knowledge is invaluable to academics and hotel decision makers, especially because the research provides specific insights on the manner in which attitudes change in consumers.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Zhou

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to draw on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) to examine users' information adoption intention in online health communities (OHC).Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected 350 valid responses using a survey and conducted the moderated regression analysis to examine the research model.FindingsThe results indicated that users' information adoption intention is influenced by both central cues (argument quality) and peripheral cues (source credibility and emotional support). In addition, self-efficacy moderates the effect of both central cues and peripheral cues on information adoption intention.Originality/valuePrevious research has focused on the effect of individual motivations such as reciprocity and benefits on user behavior, and has seldom disclosed the influencing process of external factors on OHC users' behavioral decision. This research tries to fill the gap by adopting ELM to uncover the mechanism underlying OHC users' information adoption.


Author(s):  
Qiang Chen ◽  
Yangyi Zhang ◽  
Richard Evans ◽  
Chen Min

Widespread misinformation about COVID-19 poses a significant threat to citizens long-term health and the combating of the disease. To fight the spread of misinformation, Chinese governments have used official social media accounts to participate in fact-checking activities. This study aims to investigate why citizens share fact-checks about COVID-19 and how to promote this activity. Based on the elaboration likelihood model, we explore the effects of peripheral cues (social media capital, social media strategy, media richness, and source credibility) and central cues (content theme and content importance) on the number of shares of fact-checks posted by official Chinese Government social media accounts. In total, 820 COVID-19 fact-checks from 413 Chinese Government Sina Weibo accounts were obtained and evaluated. Results show that both peripheral and central cues play important roles in the sharing of fact-checks. For peripheral cues, social media capital and media richness significantly promote the number of shares. Compared with the push strategy, both the pull strategy and networking strategy facilitate greater fact-check sharing. Fact-checks posted by Central Government social media accounts receive more shares than local government accounts. For central cues, content importance positively predicts the number of shares. In comparison to fact-checks about the latest COVID-19 news, government actions received fewer shares, while social conditions received more shares.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 352-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Mei Ming Wong ◽  
Shiet Ching Wong ◽  
Guek Nee Ke

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to combine the elaboration likelihood model and hedonic/utilitarian values into a coherent model of shopping motivational values for online and offline Malaysian shoppers. Once these values were identified, they were compared to one another based on shopping channel, gender, and age group. Design/methodology/approach The Shopping Motivational Value Questionnaire was developed by the researcher after extensive literature review and measured the respondent’s perception toward shopping motivational values in both shopping channels. Data were collected from 306 Malaysians above the age of 21, and analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and pairwise t-test techniques. Findings The factor analysis revealed a three-factor model of shopping motivational values. Gratification Values were the most important to shoppers, followed by Essential and Societal Values. Shoppers perceived all these motivational values as important when shopping offline as compared to online, regardless of gender and age group. Research limitations/implications The results of the factor analysis revealed a three-factor model of shopping motivational values: Gratification Values which were the most important to shoppers, followed by Essential and Societal Values. These values were then compared to one another based on shopping channel, gender, and age group. Results indicate that shoppers perceived all these motivational values as important when shopping offline rather than online, regardless of gender and age group. Moreover, the perception of shoppers toward specific product categories and other shopping channels were not taken into account. Originality/value This study attempted to combine the elaboration likelihood model and hedonic and utilitarian values into a coherent model. A questionnaire was developed by the researcher with these two theoretical models as its foundation. Additionally, the shopping motivational values of this study have been formulated to be compatible to both shopping channels.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 205630511989732
Author(s):  
Eric P. Robinson ◽  
Yicheng Zhu

Whether they know it or not, the legal rights and responsibilities of users of websites and services, including social media, are defined and controlled by the terms of service of these online service providers. But despite the importance of these provisions, studies have shown that users rarely review terms of service, or think about their meaning. This study took advantage of a major website’s “simplification” of its terms of service to determine whether the changed language increased users’ understanding of the intended meaning of the terms of service. Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model, we evaluate the effectiveness of simplification of terms of service as a method to encourage users’ understanding on these terms.


2020 ◽  
pp. 004728752091951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myung Ja Kim ◽  
James F. Petrick

Communications can be integral in persuading funders to invest in visitor economy crowdfunding. Despite the important role of diverse communications on consumer persuasion, research on the effectiveness of persuasive communications related to crowdfunding ventures has been limited. To bridge the gap, this study aims to verify an elaboration likelihood model to better understand the role of dual-route persuasive communications. Seven hypotheses related to argument quality, source credibility, benefit of crowdfunding, attachment to fundraiser and platform, and continued crowdfunding were examined, using herding behavior as a moderator. The findings revealed that argument quality had a substantial impact on benefit. Further, source credibility was found to have positive impacts on benefit and attachment; benefit had a significant effect on attachment and continued crowdfunding, and attachment had the strongest influence on continued crowdfunding. Additionally, herding behavior was found to moderate five of the six hypotheses.


2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 210-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna R. McAlister ◽  
Danielle Bargh

Purpose The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) proposes two routes to persuasion – the central route (persuasion occurs via information) and the peripheral route (persuasion occurs via visual cues, attractive actors and other source characteristics). The central route is typically used for high-involvement decisions and the peripheral route is used in low involvement situations. The ELM has received extensive support when tested with adults; however, its ability to explain young children’s responses to persuasive communications has not been fully tested. Hence, the purpose of this research is to assess whether the standard tenets of the ELM apply to children’s processing of persuasive messages. Design/methodology/approach This study involved 84 preschool children, ages three to six. It used a 2 (involvement) × 2 (argument strength) × 2 (source attractiveness) design to test children’s responsiveness to advertisements for a novel breakfast cereal. Findings The findings suggest that children are naturally inclined to be persuaded by advertising messages, regardless of their level of involvement. It is the weak arguments and weak peripheral cues that dissuade children who are highly involved with a message. Originality/value This research makes an original contribution to the existing literature by testing the extent to which the ELM applies to children’s processing of persuasive advertisements. The finding that weak peripherals dissuade children from believing an ad’s message has strong implications for advertising practitioners.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Browning ◽  
Osenkor Gogo ◽  
Marvin Kimmel

Purpose Using the elaboration likelihood model as a framework, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of cause involvement, ability to process, and motivation to process on consumer judgments of organizational image following exposure to a corporate social responsibility (CSR) message. Design/methodology/approach This study relies upon an experimental manipulation of message complexity and uses quantitative survey data. The data were analyzed via tests of means differences, hierarchical multiple OLS regression, and mediation analysis. Findings The authors found that CSR’s influence on image is unaffected by message complexity – at least directly. However, CSR’s influence on image is intensified by greater cause involvement and information processing ability, which indicates that central route processing is more likely to move the needle on such assessments. Additionally, involvement serves as an important mediator on the effects that ability and motivation to process have on ratings of organizational image. Originality/value The findings suggest the necessity for communicators of CSR to foster cause involvement in consumers if social responsibility efforts are to resonate and garner positive results. Additionally, should organizations wish to create deeper elaboration about CSR messages among consumers, simple, straightforward messaging appears most effective. Complex messages can, however, serve as valuable peripheral cues among certain audiences.


Author(s):  
Yi Xuan Ong ◽  
Tao Sun ◽  
Naoya Ito

AbstractThe power of social media influencers (SMIs) as effective endorsers for destinations and tourism products have been widely acknowledged. Despite being characterised as content generators by prior research, little has been done to examine how consumers perceive content produced by SMI, a key component of destination marketing campaigns. Moreover, parasocial relationship between SMI and the follower has been proven to enhance the persuasive impact of SMIs. Hence, this study aims to shed light on how consumers would assess the SMI and the content the SMI produced, as well as the effect of parasocial relationship on processing SMI destination marketing campaigns. Findings (N = 501) have highlighted that argument quality of SMI content has a stronger direct impact on campaign attitude, destination image and travel intention, as compared to source credibility. With the application of the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) as a framework, this study illuminates consumers’ interaction with the SMI destination marketing campaign and extends prior studies in understanding the importance of SMI content and parasocial relationship as a significant tool for future destination marketing.


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