Persuasion

Less than a Cup of Coffee

According to Encyclopedia Britannica “persuasion, the process by which a person’s attitudes  or behavior  are, without duress, influenced by communications from other people” Watching television late at night will inevitably expose one to visions of fly covered children, bellies distended with malnutrition and heartfelt pleas to give “just a few cents a day, to help feed the children.”

Convincing someone to part with their hard earned money isn’t an easy task. In an economy that is troubled everyone feels the pinch, perhaps those who rely on the good will and generosity of others feel it the most. Giving money to worthy causes relieves guilt for some, and might fill a need for others.

While prime time advertisers who are selling us a product have only a few minutes to catch our attention, those who rely on people to give out of the goodness of their hearts employ both the central and peripheral route of persuasion. The central route of persuasion makes people think; the peripheral route of persuasion evokes the good feelings that we long for. Using the central route of persuasion Feed The Children advertisements engage logical rationale to understand that “just a few cents a day can make a huge difference in the life of a child who needs it.” Using the peripheral route of persuasion the ads appeal to the emotional feelings of goodwill and making a positive impact in the life of a child.

“Any factors that help people clear the hurdles in the persuasion process increase the likelihood of persuasion” (Myers, 2010). Promising a picture of the child your quarter a day buys food for makes the giving process personal. While helping needy children is important, there are some who have difficulty sharing their relative wealth. “Thus if you can’t make a strong case, you might want to put your audience in a good mood and hope they’ll feel good about your message without thinking too much about it” (Myers, 2010).  It gives a warm and fuzzy feeling to help a child receive nutrition, clothes that fit, education, and after all, it costs less than that Starbucks Venti Skinny Caramel Macchiato that I’m waiting in this line to purchase.

Reference

http://www.britannica.com.lib.ottawa.edu/EBchecked/topic/453093/persuasion

Myers, D. (2010) Social Psychology (10^th ed.) McGraw-Hill. New York, New York.