Prepared by Robert Gass & John Seiter
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CREDIBILITY DEFINED
Definition: “Judgments made by a perceiver concerning
the believability of a communicator” (O’Keefe, 1990)
 Credibility is not synonymous with charisma or leadership
 Credibility is also referred to as “Ethos”
 Credibility is a crucial element in persuasion
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CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS
“Celebritocracy”

We are living in a culture that
worships the rich and famous
Third-Person Effect
 People see themselves as less
susceptible to advertising and
others as more susceptible
Meaning Transfer
Perspective:
 An endorser’s persona is
projected onto the brand
 Usain Bolt and Gatorade
 Justin Bieber and Proactiv
The Match-Up Hypothesis:
 A good fit between the endorser
and the brand is essential
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FALLING STARS
Celebrity scandals rub off onto the sponsor
 Tiger Woods was dropped by Accenture, Buick, Gatorade, and
other sponsors following revelations of marital infidelity
He has since regained $54.5 million in endorsements, but that
is far less than the $105 million he once enjoyed
 Michael Phelps Kellogg's dropped him, but Speedo and Subway
stuck with him, after his “bong” photo surfaced
 Lance Armstrong was dropped by Nike like after his admission
of doping to win the Tours de France
 Rock Ross, of U.O.E.N.O., was dropped by Reebok following
controversy over rape lyrics in songs
 Rihanna was dropped by Nivea for being too sexy and too
controversial for their brand
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CREDIBILITY DIMENSIONS
Credibility is a receiver-based phenomenon
 Credibility is perceptual, it exists in the eye of the beholder
Credibility is a multi-dimensional construct
 it is a composite of multiple factors
Credibility is situational
 It varies from one context to another
Credibility is dynamic
 It changes over time, even during a short period of time
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PRIMARY DIMENSIONS OF CREDIBILITY
Expertise (competence)
 The persuader has knowledge, skills, knows his/her stuff
Trustworthiness (character, integrity)
 The persuader is honest, safe, dependable
Goodwill (perceived caring)
 The persuader takes a genuine interest in you
Note: William Benoit (2004) says that expertise is the most important of all
three
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PRIMARY DIMENSIONS APPLIED
If you were selecting a surgeon
Expertise: licensed, board
certified
 Has performed the operation
numerous times
Trustworthiness:
 won’t bill you for unnecessary
procedures
Goodwill:
 bedside manner, compassion,
rapport
If you were selecting a mechanic
Expertise: licensed, trained,
experienced
 Familiar with your make and
model
Trustworthiness:
 honest, won’t rip you off
Goodwill:
 friendly, knows your name,
remembers you as a customer
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SECONDARY DIMENSIONS OF CREDIBILITY
There are multiple, secondary dimensions of credibility
Secondary dimensions are more situation specific
Dynamism (extroversion)
 A source is energetic, enthusiastic
Composure (poise)
 A source is calm, cool, and collected
Sociability (Likeability)
 A source is friendly, warm, charming
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THE FACTOR ANALYTIC APPROACH AND THE
REAL WORLD
Employees who rate their managers as high in
“expertise” and “trustworthiness” tend to have
higher morale (Kouzes & Posner, 2011)
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CREDIBILITY AS A PERIPHERAL CUE
Credibility typically
functions as a peripheral
cue in persuasion
 Credibility matters more
when receivers have low
involvement
 Credibility matters less when
receivers have high
involvement
It’s What’s Up Front that
Counts
A source’s qualifications must
be given prior to presenting
evidence/testimony
Providing source
qualifications afterward may
be ineffective
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THE SLEEPER EFFECT
The persuasiveness of messages changes over time
Most messages lose effectiveness over time
The Sleeper Effect is an exception to the general rule
 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
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ILLUSTRATION OF THE SLEEPER EFFECT
Absolute sleeper effect
Relative sleeper effect
Low credibility source
With discounting cue
initial
pre-test
delayed
post-test
High credibility source
Amount of attitude change
Amount of attitude change
High credibility source
Low credibility source
With discounting cue
initial
pre-test
delayed
post-test
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CREDIBILITY AND IMAGE MANAGEMENT
Credibility extends to government agencies, institutions,
organizations, social movements
Institutions have images and reputations to maintain
 AIG bailout
 IRS and politicized audits
 The CIA after September 11, 2001
When an institution’s image is tarnished, it must engage in image
restoration
Hence the importance of PR, media “spin,” community involvement
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CREDIBILITY AND IMAGE MANAGEMENT
Most Admired Companies
Apple
Google
Tarnished Halos
Susan G Komen Foundation, cut off
aid to Planned Parenthood
Amazon
Catholic Church’s priest abuse
scandal
Coca-Cola
White House and Benghazi
IBM
BP oil spill
FedEx
IRS
Berkshire Hathaway
CIA and WMDs in Iraq
Starbucks
Proctor & Gamble
Southwest Airlines
Corporate Social Responsibility
Ronald McDonald House, Make A
Wish Foundation, United Way
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IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT
How would you rate the
credibility of the following
organizations?
 American Trial Lawyers
Association
 NRA
 Congress
 United Nations
 McDonald’s
 Philip Morris
 Wal-Mart
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?
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STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING CREDIBILITY
Prepare thoroughly. Never “wing it”
 Be organized, fluent, composed
 Manage your time carefully
 Anticipate likely questions
Cite evidence and source
qualifications
 Cite credible sources and evidence
within your presentation
State your own background and
expertise
 Demonstrate that you know what you
are talking about
Build trust by identifying
with your audience
 Emphasize similarities,
common values, shared
goals
Display goodwill by showing
that you care
 Be genuine, authentic
 Show you have your
listeners’ interests at heart
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STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING CREDIBILITY
Improve your likeability
be friendly, sociable
Adapt your language style to your
audience
Avoid a powerless style of
communication

“like,” “uhm”

disclaimers, “Can I start over…?”
Increase listener involvement to
promote central processing
 receivers with low involvement
tend to pay more attention to
credibility
Have an admired source
introduce you
Emphasize your similarity to your
listeners

shared values, common goals
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