Resistance to persuasion

Resistance

Unwillingness to change one's attitude in the face of new or conflicting information. Can be conscious or unconscious More likely to occur with stronger attitudes The act of resisting strengthens attitudes (i.e. polarizes attitudes)

Reactance is also a personality trait:

some people are more likely to experience reactance than others

Persuasion knowledge:

theories consumers have developed about the motives, goals and strategies of advertisers

We are more likely to resist persuasion when

we believe that a communicator is intending to persuade us

Motivated reasoning:

when individuals are motivated to keep beliefs that they already hold

Sponsorship addresses:

-Reactance -Persuasion knowledge

Two-sided advertising:

Advertising that contains negative claims about a brand Or contains positive claims about a competitor

Two routes for undermining credibility

Attacking the expertise of the source Attacking the trustworthiness of the source

Reactance can lead to:

Attitude stability (i.e. not changing one's attitude) Boomerang effect

Personality traits that lead to increased resistance:

Authoritarianism: high authoritarianism=high resistance Dogmatism: high dogmatism = high resistance Need for closure: high need for closure=high resistance

Greater levels of persuasion knowledge =

Greater resistance to advertising

Consumers who are resisting persuasion will engage in:

Increased counter-arguing Increased source derogation Increased attitude polarization

Two-sided advertising addresses:

Persuasion knowledge Motivated reasoning Reactance

What causes resistance to persuasion?

Persuasive knowledge Motivated reasoning Reactance Personality

Two-sided ads:

Reduce counterarguing Increase source credibility (especially trustworthiness) Increase purchase intention

Sponsorship is more effective when:

The event and the sponsor are congruent Sponsorship results in some tangible benefit to the consumer Attitudes toward the event are positive

Arguments may be generated against:

The source of the message Product claims The ad itself (independent of the brand)

How to overcome resistance?

Two-sided advertising Product placement Sponsorship

Source Derogation:

Undermining the credibility of a message source

Counterarguing:

When consumer develop or articulate thoughts that are contrary to claims made in the advertisement

Challenging information creates

cognitive dissonance, which people are motivated to avoid

Product placement

inclusion of branded products within mass media programming Product placement addresses persuasion knowledge and reactance.

Attitude Polarization

phenomenon where attitudes toward a brand/product/service become more extreme Example: Smoking PSAs

Reactance:

resistance against attitudinal freedom in the face of perceived coercion (i.e. persuasion)

Personality Characteristics

Certain personality characteristics can influence the likelihood of resistance to persuasion

Sponsorship:

financial support of an entity by a commercial organization