Index of Paper Presentations for the Parallel Sessions - Academy of ...

The importance of message source portrayals in advertising is well acknowledged in the because of itsimpact on persuasive effects. Based on extensive review of the literature, this paper identifies physical andcultural characteristics that can be used to assess advertisements in emerging market contexts. It proposesspecific categories and category dimensions that can be applied in the study of advertisements. Given thelower levels of literacy in the mass markets in emerging markets and the importance of nonverbalelements in advertisements, the need to adopt appropriate message source portrayals is emphasized.Key words: advertisements, message source portrayals, physical characteristics, cultural valuesIntroductionResearch on images of people portrayed in advertisements shows that the mere image of a messagesource (i.e., the central person in an advertisement) can have an important effect on attitude formation andchange. Several explanations have been offered for these effects. Theories of attitude formation andchange suggest that consumer assessments of message source characteristics help determine the processby which consumers respond to an advertising message and the depth and duration of persuasive effects(e.g., Kelman, 1961). Research on dual process theories of attitude change shows that even the nonverbalimages of a message source can communicate important information that affects consumer attitudes andbehavior (Petty & Cacioppo, 1984; Chaiken, 1980). Message source effects remain an important topic forresearch in advertising and consumer research (e.g., Clark, Evans, & Wegener, 2011).The importance of nonverbal elements in persuasive communication is three-fold.Firstly,nonverbal elements in persuasive communication can amplify persuasive messages in that they can lendsupport, modify, or emphasize the verbal elements. This improves the processing of messages by thetarget audience and reinforces or clarifies the meaning of the verbal elements (Knapp, 1972). Thissuggests that it is important for marketers to pay attention to nonverbal communication. Secondly,nonverbal elements tend to be more effective in reaching the target audience‘s emotions or affective statesthan verbal communication (Watzlawick, Deavin, & Jackson, 1971). Since it is a responsibility ofmarketing to influence consumer preferences, the ability to trigger the target audience‘s emotions or