CREDIBILITY 1

Credibility counts 2  "ethos is the most potent of all means of persuasion" (Aristotle, The Rhetoric, 1356a)  “To become a celebrity is to become a brand name” (Phillip Roth)  “The generalization that high credibility sources are more influential than low credibility sources is as close as one can come to a universal law of persuasion” (Gass & Seiter, 2007)

Credibility 3  Definition: “Judgments made by a perceiver concerning the believability of a communicator” (O’Keefe, 1990).  Credibility is not synonymous with charisma or leadership.  Credibility is also referred to as “Ethos.”  Credibility is a crucial element in persuasion.

Credibility endorsers  Berger (2004) maintains we are living in a “Celebritocracy.”  Roughly one in five ads features a celebrity endorser.  The Match-Up Hypothesis: A good fit between the endorser and the brand is essential.  William Shatner parodies himself in Priceline.com’s campy “action hero” commercials.  Meaning Transfer Perspective: An endorser’s persona is projected onto the brand.  Catherine Zeta Jones evokes style and sophistication for T- Mobil. 4

Celebrity endorses  25% of advertisements employ celebrity endorsers (Shimp, 2000).  Roughly 10% of advertising expenditures go to pay the endorser (Agrawal & Kamakura, 1995)  Selling power is known as a celebrity’s “quotient fare” or simply “Q” 5

The match-up hypothesis  How do these four endorsers fit the “My Life, My Card” American Express image? 6

Falling stars 7  Celebrity scandals rub off onto the sponsor.  Tiger Woods was dropped by Accenture, Buick, Gatorade, and other sponsors following revelations of marital infidelity.  Michael Phelps Kellogg's dropped him, but Speedo and Subway stuck with him, after his “bong” photo surfaced.  Michael Vick was dropped by Nike and Coca-Cola after his dog-fighting conviction.  Martha Stewart resurrected her image as a homemaking diva, after serving time for insider trading.

Celebrities in Politics  Celebrities have little effect on election outcomes.  "There is no polling evidence that celebrity endorsements make a difference,“ Kathleen Hall Jamieson  "political endorsements generally have little impact on voter preference." A 2007 study by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press  It may be that celebrities are more successful motivating people to vote in general as opposed to tendering a vote for a specific candidate.” Natalie Wood, Ph.D., marketing professor 8

Credibility dimensions 9  Credibility is a perceptual phenomenon.  Ethos is in the eye of the beholder.  Credibility is a multi-dimensional construct.  it is a composite of multiple factors  Credibility is situational.  It varies from one context to another.  Credibility is dynamic.  It changes over time, even during a short period of time.

Primary credibility dimensions 10  There are three primary dimensions of credibility.  All three are important in almost all persuasive situations.  Benoit (2004) says expertise is tends to be the most important of the three.  Expertise (competence)  The persuader has knowledge, skills, knows his/her stuff.  Trustworthiness (character, integrity)  The persuader is honest, safe, dependable.  Goodwill (perceived caring)  The persuader takes a genuine interest in you.

11  Does Captain “Sully” Sullenberger possess all three dimensions?  Does Oprah Winfrey possess all three dimensions?  Did Joe “The plumber” have expertise?  Is Tiger Woods trustworthy?  Are Fox News and CNN trustworthy?  What dimensions were Richard Hatch or Russell Hantz (from the TV show Survivor) high or low in?  Is Sarah Palin high in expertise? Primary credibility dimensions

12  There are multiple, secondary dimensions of credibility.  Secondary dimensions are more situation specific.  Dynamism (extroversion)  A source is energetic, enthusiastic.  Composure (poise)  A source is calm, cool, and collected.  Sociability (Likeability)  A source is friendly, warm, charming. Secondary credibility dimensions

Whose got what?  Match the credibility dimensions below with the sources on the right.*  Primary: Expertise Trustworthiness Goodwill  Secondary Dynamism Composure Sociability * Note: Since credibility is in the eye of the beholder, not everyone will agree.  James Bond  Ellen Degeneris  Ken Griffey Jr.  Barack Obama  John Madden  Ty Pennington  Rachel Ray  Captain Sully Sullenberger  AIG  Reese Witherspoon Does anyone possess all three dimensions? 13

Credibility as a peripheral cue 14  Credibility typically functions as a peripheral cue in persuasion.  Credibility matters more when receivers have low involvement.  Credibility matters less when receivers have high involvement.

The Third Person Effect 15  Study by Yankelovich and Gannett, of 1,000 consumers nationwide:  Only 25% of those questioned said a TV ad would induce them to try a product or brand  Only 3% said they would try a new product based on the recommendations of a celebrity  63% said they would try something new based on the advice of a friend.  Third person effect: People think they are less susceptible to persuasion than other people.  Self-serving bias: People think they are better than average; better drivers, better sense of humor, more intelligent, etc.

Credibility and image management 16  Credibility extends to government agencies, institutions, organizations, social movements.  Institutions have images and reputations to maintain.  Toyota  AIG  FEMA  When an institution’s image is tarnished, it must engage in image restoration.  Hence the importance of PR, media “spin,” community involvement.

Credibility and image management  How would you rate the credibility of the following organizations?  American Trial Lawyers Association  Blackwater (now Xe)  Congress  United Nations  McDonald’s  Philip Morris  Wal-Mart  Pretend you are the head of a PR firm representing one of these companies.  What steps would you take to enhance or restore their credibility? 17

The Sleeper Effect 18  The persuasiveness of messages changes over time.  Most messages lose effectiveness over time.  The Sleeper Effect is an exception to the general rule.  A message initially advocated by a low credibility source may increase in persuasiveness over time.  The source and the message must be disassociated by using a discounting cue.  Without the “ball and chain” of the low credibility source, the message becomes more persuasive.  Absolute versus Relative sleeper effects

19 Generalizing the credibility construct  Credibility applies not only to the rich and famous  institutions and organizations possess credibility as well  In dyadic encounters; there are two sources whose credibility is at stake Do fictional spokespersons possess credibility?

Enhancing credibility  Prepare thoroughly. Never “wing it.”  Be organized, fluent, composed.  Manage your time carefully.  Anticipate likely questions.  Cite evidence and source qualifications.  Cite credible sources and evidence within your presentation.  State your own background and expertise.  Demonstrate that you know what you are talking about.  Build trust by identifying with your audience.  Emphasize similarities, common values, shared goals.  Display goodwill by showing that you care.  Be genuine, authentic.  Show you have your listeners’ interests at heart. 20