According to the ELM, there are two main routes through which persuasive messages influence us: the central route<\/strong> and the peripheral route<\/strong>. Which route is taken depends largely on the audience's motivation and ability to carefully process the message.<\/p>\r\n The central route to persuasion<\/strong> is logic-driven and uses data, facts, and compelling arguments to convince people of a position's worthiness. This is a direct route that focuses on the quality and strength of the information itself.<\/p>\r\n<\/section>\r\n For example, a car company seeking to persuade you to purchase their model will emphasize the car's safety ratings, fuel economy statistics, reliability data, and warranty coverage. They present concrete evidence that their car is a smart choice.<\/p>\r\n For the central route to be effective in changing attitudes and behaviors, the argument must be strong and well-reasoned. When successful, the central route results in lasting attitude change because the person has carefully considered the evidence and been genuinely convinced.<\/p>\r\n The central route is most effective when the audience is:<\/p>\r\n From an advertiser's perspective, what products are best sold using the central route? Products that involve significant investment or require careful consideration work well with this approach:<\/p>\r\n The peripheral route<\/strong> is an indirect route that uses peripheral cues\u2014surface-level features rather than argument quality\u2014to associate positivity with the message (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986). Instead of focusing on facts and product quality, the peripheral route relies on associations with positive characteristics such as attractive spokespersons, pleasant music, humor, or celebrity endorsement.<\/p>\r\n<\/section>\r\n For example, having a popular athlete advertise athletic shoes is a common method used to encourage young adults to purchase the shoes. The message isn't \"these shoes have superior cushioning technology\"\u2014it's \"this person you admire wears these shoes.\"<\/p>\r\n This route requires little effort or information processing from the audience. While it may promote positive feelings toward the message or product, it typically results in less permanent attitude or behavior change compared to the central route.<\/p>\r\n The peripheral route is most effective when the audience is:<\/p>\r\n The audience may not even consciously notice the persuasion attempt, as in the strategy of product placement<\/strong>\u2014putting products with clear brand names in TV shows or movies to promote them (Gupta & Lord, 1998). For example, one season of American Idol<\/em> prominently showed judges drinking from cups displaying the Coca-Cola logo.<\/p>\r\n What products are best sold using the peripheral route? Products involving less personal investment or everyday purchases often use this approach:<\/p>\r\n An especially influential model that describes the dynamics of persuasion is the elaboration likelihood model<\/strong> (ELM) of persuasion (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986). The elaboration likelihood model builds on the Yale attitude change approach, incorporating features of the source, message content, and audience characteristics to predict when and how attitude change will occur.<\/p>\n According to the ELM, there are two main routes through which persuasive messages influence us: the central route<\/strong> and the peripheral route<\/strong>. Which route is taken depends largely on the audience’s motivation and ability to carefully process the message.<\/p>\n The central route to persuasion<\/strong> is logic-driven and uses data, facts, and compelling arguments to convince people of a position’s worthiness. This is a direct route that focuses on the quality and strength of the information itself.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n For example, a car company seeking to persuade you to purchase their model will emphasize the car’s safety ratings, fuel economy statistics, reliability data, and warranty coverage. They present concrete evidence that their car is a smart choice.<\/p>\n For the central route to be effective in changing attitudes and behaviors, the argument must be strong and well-reasoned. When successful, the central route results in lasting attitude change because the person has carefully considered the evidence and been genuinely convinced.<\/p>\n The central route is most effective when the audience is:<\/p>\n From an advertiser’s perspective, what products are best sold using the central route? Products that involve significant investment or require careful consideration work well with this approach:<\/p>\n The peripheral route<\/strong> is an indirect route that uses peripheral cues\u2014surface-level features rather than argument quality\u2014to associate positivity with the message (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986). Instead of focusing on facts and product quality, the peripheral route relies on associations with positive characteristics such as attractive spokespersons, pleasant music, humor, or celebrity endorsement.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n For example, having a popular athlete advertise athletic shoes is a common method used to encourage young adults to purchase the shoes. The message isn’t “these shoes have superior cushioning technology”\u2014it’s “this person you admire wears these shoes.”<\/p>\n This route requires little effort or information processing from the audience. While it may promote positive feelings toward the message or product, it typically results in less permanent attitude or behavior change compared to the central route.<\/p>\n The peripheral route is most effective when the audience is:<\/p>\n The audience may not even consciously notice the persuasion attempt, as in the strategy of product placement<\/strong>\u2014putting products with clear brand names in TV shows or movies to promote them (Gupta & Lord, 1998). For example, one season of American Idol<\/em> prominently showed judges drinking from cups displaying the Coca-Cola logo.<\/p>\n What products are best sold using the peripheral route? Products involving less personal investment or everyday purchases often use this approach:<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/textimgs.s3.amazonaws.com\/ospsych\/m49120\/CNX_Psych_12_03_Persuasion2.jpg#fixme\")
Figure 1<\/strong>. Persuasion can take one of two paths, and the durability of the end result depends on the path.[\/caption]\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\u00a0central route persuasion<\/h3>\r\n
How the Central Route Works<\/h3>\r\n
When the Central Route Works Best<\/h4>\r\n
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Central Route Examples<\/h4>\r\n
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peripheral route persuasion<\/h3>\r\n
How the Peripheral Route Works<\/h3>\r\n
When the Peripheral Route Works Best<\/h4>\r\n
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Peripheral Route Examples<\/h4>\r\n
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The Elaboration Likelihood Model<\/h2>\n
\u00a0central route persuasion<\/h3>\n
How the Central Route Works<\/h3>\n
When the Central Route Works Best<\/h4>\n
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Central Route Examples<\/h4>\n
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peripheral route persuasion<\/h3>\n
How the Peripheral Route Works<\/h3>\n
When the Peripheral Route Works Best<\/h4>\n
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Peripheral Route Examples<\/h4>\n
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