Comparison the Elaboration Likelihood Model and the Heuristic-Systematic Model - Assignment Example

?Apple: The Preferred Home Computer Brand Insert Insert of the lecturer of Limerick Apple: The Preferred Home Computer Brand Apple has been known for its innovative technology and advanced marketing strategies, which has assisted it in retaining its marketing share and has gained a competitive edge over most of its competitors. A variety of available brands are essential for the organization to remain competitive while its tactic of marketing in different types of environments has assisted it in understanding its distinct types of customers, their preferences, and has developed products based on their tastes. Currently, the world is facing financial crunch and so organizations have been forced to seek for other market segment in order to increase their customer base. As such, it is important for organizations persuade the rather skeptical consumers to purchase their products. Basing on a number of theories, organization should develop advertisement tactics that persuade potential customers to purchase its products and seek for ways of retaining the customers. In this proposal, the two dual processing theories employed are the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and the heuristic-systematic model (HSM) (Bott, 2010). Apple’s computer brands have been perceived as expensive, a fact that Microsoft has used to deny it a large chunk of the market. When creating a leading brand through advertisement, Apple should consider a number of important marketing strategies to reach different segments of the market. These are creating different brand images that suit different groups in the market, developing appropriate customer motivation strategies, advertising the brand through different media outlets, and how to measure customer’s responses in relation to product acceptance or resentment (Chois &Riffon, 2007). In order to change people’s perception about its products, apple should come up with an innovative strategy that will encourage more customers to buy its products. The advertisement strategy should be practical and reflect real life situations. There are a number of advertisements that apple has been using but the notable one is “Get a Mac” campaign (Rhoads, 2007). In this advertisement, which was directed by Phil Morrison, humorist John Hodgman represents a common PC while star actor Justin Long represents Macintosh (Mac) .In UK apple advertisements, Mac is represented by Robert Webb while the common PC is represented by David Mitchell. After sometime, Get a Mac ad was upgraded to “Why you love Mac” which gives more features on its apple’s PC software and hardware. As such, apple needs to develop an advertisement slogan that is more attractive and appealing to all segments of customers. This is vital for Apple to compete favorably with its major competitors as Microsoft windows. The advertisement slogan that has assisted window to gain many customers at the expense of Apple is the use of music that highlights a number of Indie bands across the globe. Regardless of the language or country, the music is attractive and arouses interest among potential customers who may purchase the products (Chaffin, 2012). Since financial crisis affected the buying power of many consumers, it is vital for Apple to understand ways in which it can modify its communication systems in order to encourage more people to change attitudes towards its products. It should consider increasing the base of its customer by targeting groups that have long been shunned or not given much attention by companies. In looking for ways of persuading customers to purchase its products, there are two dual processing theories that this proposal will employ. These are elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and the heuristic-systematic model (HSM) (Bott, 2010). The elaboration likelihood theory states that there are two pathways through which people process information. These are central and peripheral pathways. The central pathway involves conscious efforts to process received information. In this case, people pay much attention to relevant information and the theme of the message and so, they base their perception or changes on the information. The peripheral pathway entails the use of peripheral methods or cues as the basis of people’s attitudes or change of thoughts. Examples are conditioning and social identification. When using this theory in developing advertisement strategy, it is important to appreciate that perceptions and change of perceptions which are formed through central pathway are stable compared to peripheral pathways which are neither persistent nor predictable. In order to develop a correct perception or attitude change about a specified product, organizations should develop ads whose information is passed through central pathway. In most cases, people fall in between central and peripheral pathways when developing attitude or during attitude change (Subine,2012). Heuristic-systematic model states that information can be received through systematic mode and heuristic mode. Systematic mode involves effortful processing of information while heuristic mode entails effortless information processing. Systematic mode involves information processing technique in which people make conscious attempts to pay attention to specific arguments or information that influence or change their attitude. Heuristic processing involves information processing procedures that involve minimal efforts. People pay little attention and concentrate less on the information provided. Heuristic processing employs only heuristic role of information processing (Foxall, 2005).Similar to ELM, people using HSM have high motivation when the information processing are effortful. The difference between the two models is that in HSM, people who engage in effortful processing also experience the effects of heuristic processing. According to HSM, people want to posses accurate attitudes which reflect reality and so they develop three motivations of information process. These are impression, defense and accuracy (Wanke &Bohner,2002). Although much study has been conducted with regards to the influence of persuasion models, more research need to be carried out to prove that the models are 100% accurate in influencing people’s attitudes and change in attitudes. The aim of this proposal is to persuade and encourage more customers to purchase products from Apple. The ELM theories offer the best avenue through which untapped customer base may be persuaded to buy the products. These bases are university students and the retirees (Michaels, 2012). Two advertisements, which were aimed at enhancing sales of apple computers, were developed to influence two target audiences, the university students and the retirees. The ads were designed based on elaboration likelihood model of persuasion in order to persuade and influence the target markets to select products from apple through appropriate advertisement avenues. In addition, the ads were aimed at informing the audience about the benefits using Apple products instead of products from its competitors. The three levels of independent variable in this proposal are current Apple ads, current windows ads, and the new Apple ads. The dependent variable is computer brand preference and consumers’ positive attitude development and change (Wanke &Bohner, 2002). Study 1 Method Participant 100 people will take place in the study. The participants must have attained the age of 65 years and must be retirees. The participants, who are also the target group of Apple, will be invited to the study by newspapers ads. The newspaper will provide all expenses including transport and meal expenses. In addition, the newspapers will furnish the participants with all relevant information about the study .The use of retiree in this study is motivated by the fact that most of them have money obtained from their pension or long time savings and so the ad is aimed at imparting them with more knowledge about the products.The participants will be given a chance to win a free apple computer. Materials The study will be carried out in university social hall. The participants will be given a consent form and informed about the ethical issues that are required of them. They will be provided with separate forms for each newspaper ad. The ads include current window newspaper ads, current Apple newspaper ads, and new Apple newspaper ads. The interview form will contain a Likert scale numbered from 1 to 5.1 will stand for most hated while 5 will stand for most liked. Others are 2 for hated, 3 for average, and 4 for liked. The participants will be asked about their computer preference before the advertisement and after the ads for both Mac and Window computers. They will also be asked to write about their personal view and experiences about the ads and the study in general. The participants will be shown new Apple ads in the newspaper. The new Apple ads will be practical and its conditions made as real as possible to suit people’s real life experiences. The new Apple ads will contain details and information that will have persuasive influence on the target group. In this case, the target group is the retirees. When people read newspapers, especially the middle and old age people, they tend to concentrate in order to understand its contents. In most cases, they are less distracted and tend to process information in the newspaper through central pathway as stipulated in elaboration likelihood model(ELM).Strong and comprehensive arguments will attract their attention ,which will in turn influence their perception about a given ads. The responsibility and influence among the employees is great especially to young one who views them with a lot of esteem. Since they wield great financial clout in homes, they make decision on what is to be bought at home and so a good advertisement will influence them to buy the product. As such, a new apple ad would influence the retiree to purchase the product basing on central processing route. The retiree may also influence others such as their grand children to buy the products that have attracted them. When the grandchildren or other young members of the family purchase the products as an influence from the retiree, they will be engaging in peripheral pathway of information processing. The influence of the retiree becomes the motivator to their dependents when they buy apple products (Edwards, 2012). The new Apple ad will consider social liking and influence of authority. The new ad will contain the picture of Queen Elizabeth. As the head of monarchy in Britain, Queen Elizabeth is highly revered especially among the old generation who still wield much respect for the monarchy. In addition, old people seem to be attracted to politics and political life and so any political figure in advertisements tend to attract them (Cialdini, 2009). Procedure During their entry into the university, the participants will be directed to university social hall. They will be offered consent form and question sheets on which they will answer some questions. They will be shown a current Apple newspaper ad and then a current Microsoft newspaper ad .They will then be requested to answer several questions about each newspaper ad .They will finally be shown new Apple newspaper ad and requested to answer the questions. In addition, they will be asked about their views and experience during the study. After they are through, they will provide their email addresses, which will be entered into a draw. The winner will go home with a new apple computer. The participant’s phone and email addresses will be recorded for future advice and inquiries. Results The proposal is aimed at supporting the proposal that new Apple newspaper ad will have a tremendous influence and persuasive effects on the retirees. These effects play a key role in their preference for home usage of Apple computer and they may influence others to purchase the products. So as to determine if the Apple newspaper ad developed had persuasive influence on the target group, the results obtained will be entered into SPSS for data analysis. The standard deviation and the mean, the study’s descriptive statistics, will be used to determine whether there are errors in the data. Inferential statistics reveal the difference in the three conditions, the current Apple newspaper ad, the current Windows newspaper ads, and the new Apple newspaper ads. ANOVA(a one way variance analysis) will be employed to conduct the statistical analysis. If the significance difference in the result is less than 0.05(p Read More