- Subtlety
- Sidedness
- Timing
- Message Quality
- Vividness
- Fear
- Culture

Types of Message Characteristics of Persuasion

A city's public health department wants to launch a campaign encouraging residents to get a flu shot. They are considering two different message strategies to display on public transit. Analyze the two approaches below and determine which is likely to be more persuasive for a general audience, which includes people who are both for and against vaccinations. Justify your answer by referencing specific features of the messages themselves.

Evaluating Persuasive Campaign Strategies

The effectiveness of persuasion is influenced not just by the source or audience, but also by the features of the message itself. Key characteristics include the message's subtlety, whether it presents multiple viewpoints (sidedness), and the timing of its delivery.

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University of Delaware

The Yale attitude change approach, pioneered by Carl Hovland, identifies three primary factors that determine the effectiveness of a persuasive message. These are the characteristics of the message's source, the content of the message itself, and the attributes of the audience receiving it.

Elements of Persuasion

Gilovich, T., Keltner, D., Chen, S., &amp; Nisbett, R. E. (2019). Social psychology. W. w. Norton &amp; Company. 

Social Psychology

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

A sense of exhaustion or boredom that a recipient of a message might feel if they are exposed to similar messages repeatedly, ultimately leading the recipient to avoid the message.

Message Fatigue

The effectiveness of a persuasive message is influenced by the characteristics of its source. Key attributes identified by the Yale attitude change approach include the source's credibility and their physical attractiveness.

Source Characteristics of Persuasion

Message Characteristics of Persuasion

The effectiveness of persuasion is significantly influenced by the characteristics of the audience. Key attributes that determine how a message is received and processed include the audience's level of attention, intelligence, self-esteem, and age.

Audience Characteristics of Persuasion

Analyze the following advertising campaign by identifying and explaining the key characteristics of the source, the message, and the target audience that are being leveraged to influence attitudes.

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