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CREDIBILITY
Credibility counts
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"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
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Definition: “Judgments made by a
perceiver concerning the believability of a
communicator” (O’Keefe, 1990).
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Credibility is not synonymous with charisma or
leadership.
Credibility is also referred to as “Ethos.”
Credibility is a crucial element in persuasion.
Credibility endorsers
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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.
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Meaning Transfer
Perspective: An endorser’s
persona is projected onto
the brand.
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Catherine Zeta Jones evokes
style and sophistication for TMobil.
Celebrity endorses
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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”
The match-up hypothesis
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How do these four
endorsers fit the “My
Life, My Card”
American Express
image?
Falling stars
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Celebrity scandals rub off onto the
sponsor.
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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
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Celebrities have little effect on
election outcomes.
"There is no polling evidence that celebrity
endorsements make a difference,“
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"political endorsements generally have little
impact on voter preference."
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Kathleen Hall Jamieson
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.”
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Natalie Wood, Ph.D., marketing professor
Credibility dimensions
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Credibility is a perceptual
phenomenon.
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Credibility is a multi-dimensional
construct.
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it is a composite of multiple factors
Credibility is situational.
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Ethos is in the eye of the beholder.
It varies from one context to
another.
Credibility is dynamic.
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It changes over time, even during a
short period of time.
Primary credibility dimensions
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There are three primary dimensions of
credibility.
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Expertise (competence)
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The persuader has knowledge, skills, knows
his/her stuff.
Trustworthiness (character, integrity)
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All three are important in almost all
persuasive situations.
Benoit (2004) says expertise is tends to be
the most important of the three.
The persuader is honest, safe, dependable.
Goodwill (perceived caring)
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The persuader takes a genuine interest in
you.
Primary credibility dimensions
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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?
Secondary credibility dimensions
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There are multiple, secondary dimensions of credibility.
Secondary dimensions are more situation specific.
Dynamism (extroversion)
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Composure (poise)
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A source is energetic, enthusiastic.
A source is calm, cool, and collected.
Sociability (Likeability)
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A source is friendly, warm, charming.
Whose got what?
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Match the credibility
dimensions below with
the sources on the right.*
 Primary:
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Expertise
Trustworthiness
Goodwill
Secondary
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Dynamism
Composure
Sociability
* Note: Since credibility is in the eye of
the beholder, not everyone will agree.
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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?
Credibility as a peripheral cue
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Credibility typically functions as a
peripheral cue in persuasion.
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Credibility matters more when receivers
have low involvement.
Credibility matters less when receivers
have high involvement.
The Third Person Effect
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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
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Credibility extends to government agencies, institutions,
organizations, social movements.
Institutions have images and reputations to maintain.
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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
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How would you rate the
credibility of the following
organizations?
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American Trial Lawyers
Association
Blackwater (now Xe)
Congress
United Nations
McDonald’s
Philip Morris
Wal-Mart
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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?
The Sleeper Effect
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The persuasiveness of messages changes over time.
Most messages lose effectiveness over time.
The Sleeper Effect is an exception to the general
rule.
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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
Generalizing the credibility construct
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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
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Prepare thoroughly. Never
“wing it.”
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Cite evidence and source
qualifications.
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Be organized, fluent, composed.
Manage your time carefully.
Anticipate likely questions.
Cite credible sources and
evidence within your
presentation.
State your own background
and expertise.
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Demonstrate that you know what
you are talking about.
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Build trust by identifying
with your audience.
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Emphasize similarities,
common values, shared goals.
Display goodwill by
showing that you care.
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Be genuine, authentic.
Show you have your listeners’
interests at heart.