University of Twente Student Theses

Understanding consumer contesting strategies : The impact of Cialdini’s principles of scarcity and social proof with brand credibility on persuasion knowledge and contesting strategies

Hufen, N.D. (2024) Understanding consumer contesting strategies : The impact of Cialdini’s principles of scarcity and social proof with brand credibility on persuasion knowledge and contesting strategies.

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Abstract:	Introduction: From a marketing perspective, effective persuasion is a vital aspect of communication, yet it may not always be effective due to the effects of persuasion knowledge on resistance to persuasion. Existing research shows persuasion knowledge can yield positive and negative outcomes, depending on the message's source and what persuasion cues are employed. Among these persuasion cues, the principles of Cialdini have gained popularity making them relevant to explore. However, no previous studies have investigated whether consumers’ persuasion knowledge regarding these principles leads to resistance against the persuasion attempt in the form of contesting strategies and if the message's source in the form of brand credibility could potentially moderate this relationship. Objective: This study aims to address this gap by focussing on the principles of social proof and scarcity, as prior research suggests that these principles may be perceived as manipulative. Prior literature has linked feelings of manipulation to persuasion knowledge and contesting strategies. The current study explores whether the use of persuasion cues and the level of credibility of a brand influence persuasion knowledge and contesting strategies. Method: To address these questions, this study conducted an online experiment that manipulated scarcity (“Limited availability”), social proof (“Best booking of the year according to travellers”) and brand credibility on Dutch highly educated respondents aged between 18 and 29 (N = 150) in a travel website context. The travel context was chosen because scarcity and social proof are often utilized on travel websites. Results: Results indicated that scarcity and social proof did not lead to the activation of persuasion knowledge and contesting strategies. Furthermore, brand credibility did not moderate the relationship. Instead, there was a negative relationship between brand credibility on persuasion knowledge (only scepticism) and contesting (only behaviour and source derogation). Additionally, there were positive associations between persuasion knowledge scepticism and contesting strategies. Conclusion: The results imply that persuasion knowledge scepticism is an important factor that can help explain contesting strategies. Suggesting that it is important to avoid feelings of scepticism to orchestrate successful persuasion attempts. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of brand credibility for successful persuasion attempts.
Item Type:	Essay (Master)
Faculty:	BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:	05 communication studies, 85 business administration, organizational science
Programme:	Computer Science MSc (60300)
Link to this item:	https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/98841
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