Page 93 - The Social Animal

Mass Communication, Propaganda, and Persuasion 75

paigns. For example, most Americans are in favor of taxing individ-
uals on wealth they inherit from their parents. In other words, most
of us support what used to be called the “estate tax.” However, pub-
lic opinion about the estate tax changed dramatically when its name
was changed by a clever political consultant named Frank Luntz.
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Luntz’s research suggested that people could be turned against the
tax law if politicians began referring to it as a “death tax,” which con-
jures the image of being unfairly penalized for dying. Likewise, when
people consider an educational policy named “No Child Left Be-
hind,” it can sound so heartwarming that the defects of the policy es-
cape careful scrutiny.
Let us look at the issue in a bit more detail. What are the key
factors that can increase the effectiveness of a communication? Ba-
sically, three classes of variables are important: (1) the source of the
communication (who says it), (2) the nature of the communication
(how he or she says it), and (3) characteristics of the audience (to
whom he or she says it). Put most simply: Who says what to whom?
We will look at each of these separately.

The Source of the Communication

Credibility Picture the following scene: Your doorbell rings, and
when you answer it, you find a middle-aged man in a loud, check-
ered sports jacket. His tie is loose, his collar is frayed, his pants need
ironing, he needs a shave, and his eyes keep looking off to the side
and over your head as he talks to you. He is carrying a small can in
his hand with a slot on the top, and he’s trying to convince you to
contribute a few dollars to a charitable organization you’ve never
heard of. Although his actual pitch sounds fairly reasonable, what is
the possibility of his succeeding in prying loose some of your money?
Now let’s turn back the clock a few minutes: You open your door
in response to the ringing of the doorbell, and standing there is a
middle-aged man in a conservative business suit, well tailored and
well pressed. He looks you squarely in the eye, introduces himself as
a vice-president of the City National Bank, and asks you to con-
tribute a few dollars to a charitable organization (that you’ve never
heard of), using exactly the same words as the fellow in the loud,