Why keep audience’s behavior in mind to effectively communicate with them
As a media practitioner you could be scratching your head thinking about effective ways to convey a message. That’s basically what our jobs consist of. We communicate, we influence, we persuade, we create a change in behavior, or at least that’s what we strive for. This is not an easy process as we have to consider how to craft our message. However, this process becomes considerably easier and effective when we have a strong sense of audience in mind. One of our biggest assets to understand how we are going to communicate is to understand who our audience is and how they process information. The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) is a useful tool we can use to understand how people process information.
This model states that there are two routes through which information can lead to attitudes being changed. The model is useful to understand how persuasion works and could help communication professionals when trying to persuade an audience. According to the ELM model, there’s two routes a person can take when exposed to a message. One is the central route which is a more logic-driven route. This is a more careful approach and attitude change depends on information such as strong facts and arguments. This route creaets a long-lasting attitude change as the topic discussed was internalized by the person receiving the message, it was deemed as important to them, and it was thoroughly analyzed. The people that take this route are more likely to ignore distractions as they are focused on the message their analzying. It is important to note that if the receiver is not directly affected by the message they will ignore it.
It’s important to keep the audience that will take the central route in mind. Our message has to appeal to our specific audience’s needs and wants in mind. If I want to capture their attention and keep them engaged, my message has to be tailored to them. Someone that has absolutely no interest in sports will bypass a message about buying tickets for the Miami Heat game. A person who could care less about Lionel Messi won’t be interested in an ad for an Inter Miami game with his face on it. This is why having a clear audience and a specific target persona in mind is essential for a campaign strategy.
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On the other hand, there’s people that take the peripheral route. They don’t have the time to consider an issue and the message is not that important to them. They don’t analyze the message in depth as the central route folks do. Because of this they are easily turn their attention to distractions and these can influence them instead of the effectiveness of the message. For instance, they would consider how charismatic or attractive the person conveying the message is or the design of the presentation they are using. A celebrity fan that is persuaded by this celebrity’s endorsement is an example of someone that took the peripheral route.
I think that for as communicators we should keep audience’s that take both routes in mind. Our persuasion message needs to be backed up with compelling arguments and our delivery has to be attractive. In my most recent trip to TJ Max I was looking for a shampoo. I love the hunt and I never know what I’ll get. In the hair care asile I saw thousands of bottles of different sizes, shapes, and colors. I was drawn to the only metal-looking bottle I found. The label said it was a reusable bottle and I immediately thought of ways I could use this bottle again when I finish the shampoo. As I look back I was first drawn to this product by the “distractions”. I hadn’t read the message yet.
As someone that cares for the environment and my health I liked the product even more as I learned it was made from 93% natural ingredients and the bottle was made from recycled materials but was made out of just one plastic which makes it easier to be recycled. But, they sold the product to me when I read that if I see bumps in the bottle, not to be scared, it was probably due to the malleable metal-like material and the bottle probably had a rough day. The brand’s sense of humor and relatability sealed the deal. I brought the bottle with me. I hope that as you craft your message you consider the ELM and have both your audiences and your medium in mind.
