Assignment 1
Student-researcher group (maximum of 5 members) is
required to submit a research proposal. They should follow
the required content in Research Paper Proposal Outline.
This research proposal will be submitted on week 6.
1
RESEARCH PROPOSAL OUTLINE
Title
Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
1.1. Theoretical Framework / Conceptual Framework
1.2. Statement of the Problem
1.3. Hypothesis / Objectives
1.4. Significance of the Study
1.5. Definition of terms
Chapter 2 - REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Foreign and Local Literatures, Foreign and Local Studies
Chapter 3 - METHODOLOGY
3.1. Research Design
3.2. Population and Sample
3.3. Research Instrumentation
3.4. Data Gathering
3.5. Data Analysis
References (list of all the materials – such as books, journal, etc.)
Appendix (letter of permission, survey, etc.)
2
Jubail University College – Male Branch
Business Administration Department
Royal Commission of Jubail
Rhetorical Persuasion in Advertisements: Its Psychological Impact
on Millennial Consumers
A Requirement
for the course
BUS 321 (Business Research Methods)
Submitted by:
(ID number – Name - Specialization)
2nd Semester, 2020-21
Submitted to:
Dr. Gilbert M. Talaue
Assistant Professor
Table of Contents
3
Page No.
Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY……. 1
Theoretical Framework / Conceptual Framework……………………………2
Statement of the Problem…………………………………………………….
Hypothesis / Objectives………………………………………………………
Significance of the Study…………………………………………………….
Definition of terms……………………………………………………………
Chapter 2 - REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURES ………………………….
Foreign and Local Literatures, Foreign and Local Studies……………………
Chapter 3 – METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………..
Research Design……………………………………………………………
Population and Sample……………………………………………………..
Research Instrumentation…………………………………………………..
Data Gathering………………………………………………………………
Data Analysis………………………………………………………………..
References …………………………………………………………………………..
Appendix ……………………………………………………………………………
4
Assignment 1
Student-researcher group (maximum of 5 members) is
required to submit a research
proposal. They should follow the required content in Research
Paper Proposal Outline.
This research proposal will be submitted on week
1
6.
RESEARCH PROPOSAL OUTLINE
Title
Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
1.1. Theoretical Framework / Conceptual Framework
1.2. Statement of the Problem
1.3. Hypothesis / Objectives
1.4. Significance of the Study
1.5. Definition of terms
Chapter 2 - REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Foreign and Local Literatures, Foreign and Local Studies
Chapter 3 - METHODOLOGY
3.1. Research Design
3.2. Population and Sample
3.3. Research Instrumentation
3.4. Data Gathering
3.5. Data Analysis
References (list of all the materials – such as books, journal, etc.)
Appendix (letter of permission, survey, etc.)
2
Discussion
What is research proposal?
A research proposal is a paper proposing a research project that the student-researcher is
interested and capable of doing. The first step in proposing a research is to propose a
research topic to the instructor or adviser. Typically, three (3) topics are needed or required
by the instructor or adviser. It is very important that the student-researcher will only
propose a topic of his/her research that he/she is interested, capable and data are available.
The student-researcher will present his/her proposed topics to his/her instructor. Upon
discussion and evaluation of the proposed topics, 1 topic will be approved that the
studentresearcher will pursue. Based on the approved topic, the student-researcher will
formulate working title of his/her research. It is still considered as working title because as
he/she goes on in his/her research, title maybe be revise or modified. Once the proposed
working title is approved, the student-researcher can proceed on doing his/her research.
Research title could compose of 5 to 15 words in length.
Research proposal is typically consisting of three chapters and sub-topics for each
chapter. Below is the outline and discussion:
Chapter 1 – INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
This is the first part of the research. It introduces what the research is all about by
generally giving the readers an overview of it, describing the problem situation from global,
national and local forces. It also justifies why there is a need for conducting this research.
3
Related references can also be cited here to justify the need for doing the research. Further,
a clinching statement that will relate the background of the research problem should be
included. Chapter 1 has the following sub-topics:
•
Theoretical Framework. This part discusses the theories which are useful in
conceptualizing the research. Theories from well-known personality that is related
to the present study should be cited here. This part may be omitted if there is no
theory related to the study. In the example research proposal entitled “Rhetorical
Persuasion in Advertisements: Its Psychological Impact on Millennial Consumers”,
the Cognitive Dissonance Theory (CDT) of Daiton & Zelley is related to it.
•
Conceptual Framework. This part identifies and discusses the variables related
to the problem. A schematic diagram of the research or research paradigm is part
of this. Research paradigm is a visual presentation of variables that interrelate with
one another as perceived by the student-researcher. There are different ways to
create research paradigm, such as fishbone diagram – to illustrate the causes of
specific event; input-process-output diagram – to illustrate the materials needed,
processes, and the output or result of process; and cause-and-effect diagram – to
illustrate how the independent variables can affect the dependent variables.
•
Statement of the Problem. This part presents the statement of the main problem
usually in declarative form in the first paragraph. The main problem should reflect
the title of the research and its objectives. It should be stated in a way that it is not
answerable by yes or no, rather, it should describe the current situations or reflect
relationships or differences between and among variables. This part also includes
4
the sub-problems or the research questions that are to be answered specifically. The
essential characteristic of a research question is that there should be some
information that can be collected in an attempt to answer it. Basically, the research
questions aim to come-up with description, or determine the differences, or find out
correlations between variables.
•
Objectives of the Study. This part states what the research is aiming to. What we
expect to achieve by a project. Research objectives are used as a statement of
purpose in a study that does not have a hypothesis.
•
Hypotheses. This part states tentative answers to research questions, but it is only
required for research questions that aims to find the relationship or difference. For
the research question that aims only to describe, such as demographic profile,
hypothesis is not required but objective instead.
•
Significance of the Study. This part should clearly state the importance or
usefulness of the research. Beneficiary of the research should be identified and how
they will be benefited, such as specific groups like community, school, respondents,
and researchers.
•
Definition of Terms. This part defines the important terms taken from the title and
statement of the problem. The terms should be arranged alphabetically should be
define according to how it was used in the study.
5
Chapter 2 - THE REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
This part includes the related literatures (information from books, internet, etc.) and
studies (researches that are published and unpublished) from both foreign and local sources.
It is arranged and synthesized thematically to conform to the specific problems. It should
synthesize evidences from all the literatures reviewed to get an overall understanding of
the state of knowledge in the research problem. It is required that the reviewed literatures
are only those published within the last 10 years.
Chapter 3 - METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY
This part will present the methods of the research to be use by the researcher to gather
necessary data. The methodology will include the following:
•
Research Design. This part discussed the methods used in the study, either
qualitative or quantitative or both. Research design such as descriptive should be
discuss also and why is it appropriate for the current study.
•
Population and Sample. This part describes the locale of the study (place where
the study was conducted) and the rationale of its choice. It should likewise describe
the research population and the sampling methods or techniques used in
determining the respondents or subjects of the study.
•
Research Instrumentation. This part should describe the instrument, what it
measured, how it was interpreted, to whom it was administered, and how it was
administered. A description of the instrument or parts of the instrument used is
included. The type of instruments used in the study should be mention too, such as
6
the rating scales, interview schedules, tally sheet, performance checklist,
documents and others. If the instrument used to gather data is made by the
researcher, the test conducted to ensure the instruments’ (usually the
questionnaires) validity and reliability should be stated. The level of reliability
(probability) should be stated. At least three (3) experts on the field being studied
should have evaluated the instrument.
•
Data Gathering. This part describes the procedure in gathering the data from the
respondents.
•
Data Analysis. This presents the statistical tools or treatment employed in the
analysis and interpretation of the collected data, such as SPSS. The tools used for
data analysis for each of the problems should be described.
References. This part list all materials used and reviewed by the researcher arranged
alphabetically using the APA (American Psychological Association) style of referencing.
Appendix. This part should contain letters and other form of communications, instruments
used, sample computations, and table and figures that maybe not be part of the main body
of the research.
7
Jubail University College – Male
Branch
Business Administration Department
Royal Commission of Jubail
Rhetorical Persuasion in Advertisements: Its Psychological Impact
on Millennial Consumers
A Requirement
for the course
BUS 321 (Business Research Methods)
Submitted by:
(ID number – Name - Specialization)
391000001 - Mohammed AlZharani - BUS
391000002 – Pening Garcia - ACCT
391000003 – Marilou Wang - LSCM
391000004 – Zuzomo Rai-rai - BUS
40111100 - Ahmed AlSaguob - MIS
2nd Semester, 2020-21
8
Submitted to:
Dr. Gilbert M. Talaue
Assistant Professor
Table of Contents
Page No.
Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY……. 1
Theoretical Framework / Conceptual Framework……………………………2
Statement of the Problem…………………………………………………….
Hypothesis / Objectives………………………………………………………
Significance of the Study…………………………………………………….
Definition of terms……………………………………………………………
Chapter 2 - REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURES ………………………….
Foreign and Local Literatures, Foreign and Local Studies……………………
Chapter 3 – METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………..
Research Design……………………………………………………………
Population
and Sample……………………………………………………..
Research Instrumentation…………………………………………………..
Data Gathering………………………………………………………………
Data Analysis………………………………………………………………..
References …………………………………………………………………………..
Appendix
Chapter 1
……………………………………………………………………………
THE INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Introduction and Background
Rhetorical persuasion is a tool that helps us formulate our thoughts so that we can
clearly present our position in a persuasive way. Persuasion is defined as the process by
9
which a person's attitudes or behavior are, without force, influenced by communications
from other people. Persuasion is one of the most extensively researched areas in social
psychology.
According to psychologist Gordon Allport, social psychology uses scientific
methods "to understand and explain how the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of individuals
are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied the presence of other human beings."
Essentially, social psychology is about understanding how each person's individual
behavior is influenced by the social environment in which that behavior takes place
(Cherry, 2020). Social psychology is largely the study of the social situation. Our social
situations create social influence—the process through which other people change our
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and through which we change theirs (Stangor, 2011). In
other words, studying the science of why people make choices will provides insights into
how messaging shapes people’s beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. Understanding the science
behind influence leads to more effective and lasting change. By studying how individuals
think, influence and relate to one another can lead to effectively persuading them.
In the study of Chamorro-Premuzic (2015), scientific meta-analyses show that we
are more likely to be persuaded when requests are congruent with our values, self-image,
and future goals. In other words, people are easily persuaded of that which they wanted to
do in the first place. To be an effective persuader, you cannot use the same techniques to
all people at all time. You have to customize the message that fits the demographics, interest
and values of the audience.
The Greek philosopher during the classical period, Aristotle, identified three
methods in which people can be persuaded: (1) ethos – an appeal based on credibility; (2)
10
pathos – an appeal based on emotions; and (3) logos – an appeal based on logic. As part of
the process of analyzing the audience, it is very important to consider these methods – or
what combination – will work best to persuade each person or group (Newman, 2015).
Aristotle’s rhetorical persuasion is a tool that helps us formulate our thoughts so that we
can clearly present our position in a persuasive way. The concepts of rhetorical persuasion
were first described by Aristotle in one of the first great books about titled “Rhetoric”,
which was written in the 4th century B.C (Expert Program Management, 2017).
One of the areas that greatly applies rhetorical persuasion is advertising.
Advertising, being a form of marketing communication, always persuades its consumers to
use the products and services negatively or positively. Advertisements are intended to draw
attention, alter manner and to rule our behavior. Advertisement has many forms some of
these are: social media advertising; native advertising; display advertising; print
advertising; broadcast advertising; and outdoor advertising.
According to Ashley (2016), advertisers who want persuade their customers to buy
their product applies the Aristotle’s rhetorical persuasion. An advertisement using pathos
will attempt to evoke an emotional response in the consumer. Sometimes, it is a positive
emotion such as happiness: an image of people enjoying drinking Pepsi. Other times,
advertisers will use negative emotions such as pain: a person having back problems after
buying the “wrong” mattress. Pathos can also include emotions such as fear and guilt:
images of a starving child persuading you to send money. An advertisement using logos
will give you the evidence and statistics you need to fully understand what the product
does. The logos of an advertisement will be the “straight facts” about the product: One
glass of Florida orange juice contains 75% of your daily Vitamin C needs. An
11
advertisement using ethos will try to convince you that the company is more reliable,
honest, and credible; therefore, you should buy its product. Ethos often involves statistics
from reliable experts, such as nine out of ten dentists agree that Crest is the better than any
other brand or Americas dieters choose Lean Cuisine.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychological impact of rhetorical
persuasion to the millennial consumers – born between 1997-1995 or under the age of 38
as of 2020. It will further aim to analyze how advertisement’s applied persuasion technique
can effectively or ineffectively persuade the respondents. Through this study, the research
will endeavor to understand how rhetorical persuasion correlates with other variables. As
the researcher investigate the psychological influence of rhetorical persuasion to the
respondents, it will provide a clear insight for those involved in communication and
advertising.
Theoretical Framework
Dainton & Zelley (2005) assumed that to persuade others to do something, an
outside source simply has to provide enough ammunition to change another’s attitudes or
beliefs. For example, public health campaigns often presume that the best way to get a
smoker to quit is to infuse the smoker with information about mortality rates, health
problems, and the social stigma associated with smoking in order to change the person’s
attitude about cigarettes. If the smoker’s attitude changes, surely, he or she will stop
smoking. Cognitive dissonance theory (CDT) explains that persuasion is not simply the
result of injecting new or refined beliefs into others. Instead, CDT predicts that influence
is often an intrapersonal event, occurring when incongruence between our attitudes and
12
behavior creates a tension that is resolved by altering either our beliefs or our behaviors,
thereby effecting a change. Dainton & Zelley’s model is important in this study, as it can
reveal how to persuade the target receivers of the message and influence their behavior.
Figure 1: Dainton & Zelley’s CDT Theory
Conceptual Framework
Various studies affirm rhetorical persuasion in advertising can psychologically influence
customers. The researches show that most of the customers are influenced by both
emotional and rational advertising appeals (Doan, 2017; Rahman & Pail ,2019).
Advertising explores the art of influencing human behavior to make certain purchase
decisions (Dekrey, 2020).
13
The present study aims to determine the psychological impact of rhetorical persuasion to
the millennial consumers. In order to determine the psychological impact of rhetorical
persuasion, it is deemed necessary to identify the millennials’ demographic profile, their
perceptions towards advertisement and their preferred rhetorical persuasion. It also aims to
identify if there any association of respondents’ demographic profile to their preferred
rhetorical persuasion. It will further aim to analyze how advertisement’s applied persuasion
technique can psychologically persuade the respondents - millennials.
The study as conceptualized is illustrated in the Research paradigm in Figure 2
utilizing the “Cause and Effect Relationship of Independent and Dependent Variables”
model. It is assumed that demographic profile of the respondents has psychological impact
on their perception and preference of rhetorical persuasion. Thus, advertisements that used
rhetorical persuasion can psychologically influence the respondents – millennials.
Independent Variables
Dependent Variables
14
Demographic profile of
respondentsmillennials
(
) in terms
of:
a. Gender
b. Age
c. Monthly personal allowance
Respondent’s perception to
advertisement
Psychological impact of
Rhetorical Persuasion (ethos,
pathos, logos) on
advertisements to the
millennial respondents
Respondent’s preferred
rhetorical persuasion
Figure 2: Paradigm of the Study
Statement of the Problem
The main objective of the study is to determine the impact of rhetorical persuasion
in advertising to psychological aspects of millennial consumers.
Specifically, the following problems will be answered:
1. What is the demographic profile of respondents in terms of the following variables:
1.1. gender;
1.2. age;
1.3. monthly personal allowance?
2. What is the perception of respondents with regards to advertisement?
3. What is the preferred rhetorical persuasion of the respondents?
4. Is there an association between respondents’ demographic profile and their
preferred rhetorical persuasion?
15
5. What is the psychological impact of rhetorical persuasion in advertisement to the
respondents?
Objectives of the Study
The main objective of this study is to determine the psychological impact of rhetorical
persuasion to the millennial consumers. In order to determine the psychological impact of
rhetorical persuasion, it is deemed necessary to identify respondents’ demographic profile,
their perceptions towards advertisement and their preferred rhetorical persuasion. It also
aims to identify an association between respondents’ demographic profile to their preferred
rhetorical persuasion. It will further aim to analyze how advertisement’s applied persuasion
technique can psychologically persuade the
respondents.
Hypotheses
The hypotheses will be tested in their null form at the 0.05 level of significance:
1. There is no association between respondents’ demographic profile and their
preferred rhetorical persuasion.
Significance of the Study
By investigating the psychological impact of rhetorical persuasion to the millennial
consumers, the researcher believe that this inquiry will be important to advertising,
communicators, and educational or training institutions. This research can help advertisers
and communicators to better understand their target audience, thus it will also enable them
16
structure their advertisements and brands to make it more appealing in order to influence
consumers buying behavior. For educators, this research might be able to help them to
understand millennial learners and be able to convey lessons effectively. Additionally, this
study will give the researcher an opportunity to explore and gain new knowledge. Finally,
it can be utilized for future study and can serve as reference.
Definition of Terms
Significant terms used in this study are hereby defined by the researchers
operationally and contextually for the purposes of clarity and common understanding of
their meanings and contribution to the study.
Advertisements. Refers to the written or visual messages dedicated to promoting a
specific product, service, or campaign
Millennial. Refers to a person whose age is between 21-37 years old as of 2020.
Born between 1997-1995
Millennial Consumers. Refers to a person who purchases goods and services for
personal use whose ages range from 21 to 37 as of 2020.
Monthly personal allowance. Refers to the money for personal expenses being
received by the respondents from their parents, government, or salary from job.
Psychological Impact. Refers to the effect caused by environmental and/or
biological factors on individual’s social and/or psychological aspects.
17
Persuasion. It is a process aimed at changing a person's attitude or behavior toward
some event, idea, object, or other person, by using written, spoken words or visual tools to
convey information, feelings, or reasoning, or a combination thereof.
Rhetorical Persuasion. Refer to the three types of persuasive strategies – ethos,
logos and pathos - used in arguments to support claims, convince the receiver, and affect
his or her behavior.
Rhetorical Persuasion in Advertisement. Refers to advertisement that
incorporated the rhetorical appeals in order to elicit a desired action, usually purchasing a
product.
18
Chapter 2
THE REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
This chapter presents the related literature and studies which may have direct or
indirect significance with the study.
FOREIGN RELATED LITERATURES
Social Psychology
The major question social psychologists asked is “how and why are people’s
perceptions and actions influenced by environmental factors?” (Maryville, n.d.)
According to psychologist Gordon Allport, social psychology uses scientific
methods "to understand and explain how the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of individuals
are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied the presence of other human beings."
Essentially, social psychology is about understanding how each person's individual
behavior is influenced by the social environment in which that behavior takes place. In
short, people can have a dramatic influence on the way you act and the choices you make.
The people around us shape our thoughts, feelings, moods, attitudes, and perceptions
(Cherry, 2020). Social psychology is concerned with social influences on individual
behavior. It addresses issues of attitude, perception, memory, prejudice, personality,
emotion, conformity, learning, socialization, persuasion, and cognition (Powell, 2007).
Social psychology is an empirical science that attempts to answer a variety of
questions about human behavior by testing hypotheses, both in the laboratory and in the
field. Such approach to the field focuses on the individual, and attempts to explain how the
19
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals are influenced by other people
(iresearchnet.com, n.d.)
Rhetorical Persuasion in Advertising
Aristotle, identified three methods in which people can be persuaded: ethos, pathos,
and logos. It is very important to consider these methods to persuade each person or group
(Newman, 2015). Persuasion is a fundamental human process that affects almost all
aspects of social interaction. In interpersonal relations, mass communication, politics,
economics, and even international relations, people attempt to influence the thoughts and
behaviors of others. Persuasion usually is concerned with changing the attitudes and
consequently the behavior of people in a context of relative freedom (Perloff, 2013)
One of the areas that greatly applies Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle is advertising.
Advertising is a form of persuasive and non-personal communication which is generally
paid to encourage products and services by means of diverse media. Though the first
advertising evidence was found dates back to 3000s BC. But, the first advertisement in
English went into print in 1472, in order to sell a prayer book. The profession of advertising
begun in the United States in 1841 (Hayko, 2010, p. 79). In advertising, persuasion has
been immense ongoing mysteries of rhetoric and interrelated to various discipline (Sloane,
2001). Advertisement is always expected to establish connectivity between communicators
and receivers. These receivers as consumers are geographically scattered in different
locations but the advertisement goes there through different mass media to manipulate
them. Materialistic public are basically manipulated by advertisement in manipulating
people’s strongest needs and greatest terror to persuade them to buy the favored goods and
20
services in this capitalistic world (Kanner & Soule, 2004). In this way, any market
capitalizes everything and transfers people to consumer only (Tom & Eves, 1999, p. 42)
concluded that "the advertisements that incorporate rhetorical devices perform better than
advertisements that do not for both measurements of recall and persuasion".
The Elaboration Likelihood Model claims that there are two paths to persuasion:
the central path and the peripheral path. (The Coaching Room, 2017). The central route to
persuasion consists of thoughtful consideration of the arguments of the message – also
known as logos appeal. The peripheral route to persuasion occurs when the listener decides
whether to agree with the message based on other cues besides the strength of the
arguments or ideas in the message. For example, a listener may decide to agree with a
message because the source appears to be an expert, or is attractive – ethos appeal.
Advertising is helping us to buy more than just products or experiences, and helping
us to buy more than just consumption. Advertising is one of the most prevalent form of
rhetorical practice and everyone will point to when asked to identify persuasive discourse
which usually urges its audience to take action, whether that action is to buy, to
develop a belief in the integrity of, or to form an attitude about, a particular product,
brand, or even experience (Wills, 2011)
Psychology of Advertising
A basic advertisement involves a lot of strategy and thought, as well as more
planning than one may assume. From the color scheme and visuals to the actual words
used, each component of an advertisement is designed to appeal to the consumer in a unique
way. Every aspect is specifically designed using basic principles of psychology to generate
21
a desired reaction or response. While there are many potential psychological elements to
incorporate, the use of emotions, persuasion and authority, memories, and colors are a few
of the more common ones (Glint Advertising, 2017).
Psychology explores human nature, the psyche, and why people behave the way
they do. Advertising explores the art of influencing human behavior to make certain
purchase decisions. It's no surprise that these two areas converge. Psychology explores
human nature and why people behave the way they do (Dekrey, 2020).
One of the current views on effective advertising is psychological approach.
Psychological approach aims at identifying advertising effects at the individual level.
Specific advertising stimuli are related to specific and individual consumer responses. It
also seeks to articulate the intrapersonal, interpersonal, or group-level psychological
processes that are responsible for the relationship between ad stimuli and consumer
responses (World Supporter, 2014).
According to O’Regan (2019), there are two basic models that explain how people
process information - thinking and feeling models. Chances are advertisers lean towards
one model, depending on their product and audience. Thinking approaches of
advertisements allow consumers to use logic and reason to buy the product based on
features or solving a problem. Thinking approach highlight features, benefits, or
information, also known as logos. Feeling approaches use emotion to capture consumer
behavior. Feeling approach leverage some type of emotion (humor, fear, love, etc.) that
will lead a consumer to buy your product, also known as pathos.
22
Advertiser and marketers, often rely on persuasion techniques identified by social
psychologists to encourage or persuade target market to buy their product by appropriately
designing advertisement that would influence the audiences’ behaviors.
Millennial Consumers
Millennials are 18-34 years old as of 2017. By 2020, they are already 21-37 years old.
Born between 1997-1995 or under the age of 35 as of 2017 (Nielsen, 2018; Rauch, 2019).
Compared with previous generations, millennials are living their lives differently and,
overall, they’re reaching milestones later in life. For example in US, in 2016, only 8% of
millennials were parents, which is notably lower than the 22% of consumers of the same
age back in 1975. Millennials represent 26% of households across America, a figure that’s
grown 2% since 2016. And not only do millennials hold great potential as the new wave of
parents, they also carry their fair share of weight when it comes to FMCG (fast moving
consumer goods) spending—which will grow as they progress in their careers. Millennials
are also more active than older generations on social media, which affects the way they
look for information when shopping. For instance, Millennials are significantly more likely
to conduct an online search than the broader population when shopping for common items
such as food or cleaning products. Therefore, capturing their attention and spending is of
growing importance.
FOREIGN RELATED STUDIES
According to Agwu, et. al (2014), consumer behavior makes us to understand the
way consumers react to advertising, their relationships between firms and how it influences
23
consumer decision making. They further found that when an advertisement suggests that
the product is relevant to consumers’ need, such advertisement is more likely to attract
consumer’s curiosity to know more about the products and a subsequent purchase of the
product.
In 2016, Hornik, Ofir, & Rachamim, found out in their study that emotional appeals,
led by sex and humor, appear to be more effective than fear and rational appeals.
According to Lee, Hosanagar, Kartik, & Harikesh (2017), in their study about
advertising content and consumer engagement on Social Media, they found out that directly
informative content—like mentions of price and deals—is associated with lower levels of
engagement when included in messages in isolation, but higher engagement levels when
provided in combination with brand personality–related attributes.
According to Doan (2017), in his study on rhetoric in advertising, it showed that
rhetoric methods can influence the emotions of consumers. Advertising that uses rhetorical
persuasion technique, especially visual rhetoric, can psychologically influence viewers.
Based on the study of Enschot, Hoeken, & Van Mulken (2010) rhetorical persuasion
do seem to make a difference. The attitude towards advertisement with visual tropes or
metaphors is higher than towards ads without a rhetorical figure.
In the study of Lee & Heere (2018), their results suggested that emotional
advertising led to a higher attitude toward the advertisement, brand attitude, purchase
intention, and merchandise consumption than both rational and combination advertising. It
was also revealed that combination advertising led to a higher attitude toward the
advertisement than rational advertising.
24
In the study of Rahman & Pail (2019), they randomly surveyed 82 people in various
regions in Bangladesh, who frequently do online purchase through social media. The
research shows that most of the customers are influenced by both emotional and rational
advertising appeals. It has also been observed that all categories customers are influenced
more by those emotional advertisements that depict sociality and in rational positioning, all
are influenced that demonstrating the product uses, benefits and features. The age group
‘less than 30 years’ and the ‘students’ are more influenced by emotional than from rational
appeals.
According to Romanova & Smirnova (2019) ethos, logos and pathos overlap and
co-exist in the course of persuasive interaction, it can be difficult to establish the boundaries
between them. To achieve the desirable effect in advertising it is necessary to employ
combinations of persuasive techniques to maintain a balance between the ethos, logos or
pathos components of argumentation. To achieve the desired impact, it is also essential to
be aware of different types of consumer types. Seeking common ground and personal
involvement are key to most advertisements, while the use of emotional techniques – such
as appeal to benefit, desires or time awareness – can differ depending on the type of
potential customer.
In the study of Torto (2020), he concluded that although pictorial images, graphic
and color designs and other techniques form component parts of print advertising, it is the
language of the advertisement that enables consumers to identify a product and remember
it. Language plays a crucial role since it functions as the medium for the transmission of
the advertising message.
25
LOCAL RELATED LITERATURES
Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Gulf region with a population of 33 million, and
the largest economy in the Arab World with a GDP of $ 782 billion. It is America’s 22ndlargest goods trading partner and the second-largest U.S. goods export market in the Gulf
region. In 2016, Saudi Arabia imported approximately $$7.8 billion of consumer-oriented
food products (export.gov, 2020). In terms of population, Saudi Arabia has the largest in
the GCC region and counts 29 million residents with an annual population growth rate of
3.3%. Over 50% of the population is under 25 years old, and the youth of
KSA are particularly susceptible to Western consumer trends (FoodEx Saudi, 2020). Saudi
Arabia is the only market in the Gulf region that can realistically provide investors with
substantial long-term growth prospects. A proof that Saudi Arabia is a promising market
for businesses.
LOCAL RELATED STUDIES
AlDossry (2012), found that the younger generation in the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia is more likely to adopt consumerism than older generations. He also found out the
many of the heads of households appreciate and respect public figures - public figures as
role models. Thus, he suggested that leaders’, intellectuals’, and famous people’s opinion
can be effectively used to encourage families to rationalize consumption and apply the
necessary behaviour for the rationalization of consumption.
According to Bahaddad, Houghton, and Drew (2013), traditional & cultural factors
in Saudi Arabia are considered to be major challenges for SMEs, and represent a significant
factor in attracting the consumer.
26
In the study of Akram (2015) on Islamic challenges to advertising - a Saudi Arabian
perspective, he concluded that there are several factors to be considered when developing
advertising messages and content for the conservative segment of Islam. The considerations
are as follows: avoidance of Islamic creedal taboos and displays of immorality; avoiding
usage of musical instruments and taboo entertainment; women must be dressed
appropriately, and gender roles must be in conjunction with Islamic texts; and avoiding
deceptive marketing, defaming competition, and ambiguous transactions.
In the study of Iyad (2017), on WOM Effectiveness in Improving the Purchasing
Behavior: Comparative Study on the Private Hospitals Inpatients in Jordan and Saudi
Arabia, it shows that there is a statistical impact of word-of-mouth on improving the
purchasing behavior to select the suitable hospital in countries of comparison, and the
personal factors of inpatients in Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The result of the study of Rahman & Naaz (2019) shows that there are positive and
significant impacts of an advertisement on Saudi consumers. These impacts also lead to
influence the buying behavior of the consumer and build the behaviors of society regarding
product and services. It also influences the purchase decision of Saudi consumers. In
addition, it can be said that the advertisement helps the consumers to choose or select their
right product to satisfy needs or want.
Chapter 3
27
METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY
This chapter presents the methods of research that will be used by the researcher to
gather necessary data. The methodology includes discussion of the research design, the
source of data, including the population sampling and locale of the study; the data gathering
instrument and means for data collection; and the tools used for data analysis.
Resign Design
This study will use the quantitative method to generalize results from a sample of
population of interest and descriptive research design. Descriptive research may be
characterized as simply the attempt to determine, describe, or identify what is. It also aimed
at casting light on current issues or problems through a process of data collection that
enables them to describe the situation, thus it is appropriate for this study. Correlational
and linear analysis will be use too, in order to understand the relationship between variables
and their indicators.
Population and Sample
The students of XXX University will be the respondents of the study, since their
ages can be categorized as millennials, majority if not all. Respondents will be selected
based on their age range, since according to Nielsen Company (2018), millennials are those
18-34 years old of 2017. Therefore, as of 2020, these group already ages 21 to 37 years old.
Respondents whose ages are not within the millennial bracket will not be counted or
considered as part of the study. The exact number of respondents can only be determined
once the feedbacks were gathered.
28
Research Instrumentation
Survey questionnaire will be use as data gathering instrument (refer to Appendix).
To validate the survey, research instructor or adviser will assess it. To test for reliability,
survey questionnaire will be piloted to small number of students. The survey questionnaire
is divided into four sections. The first section, will ask about the demographic data of the
respondents such as gender, age, monthly personal allowance. The second section will seek
to ask the respondents’ perceptions on advertisement. Likert scale will be used for survey
items # 6, 8, and 10 and will adopt the following interpretations:
5 - Strongly important (advertisement is perceived as very important in promoting
products);
4 - Important (advertisement is perceived as important in promoting products,
but not most of the time);
3 – neutral (respondent perceived advertisement as neither important or not);
2 – Not important (advertisement is perceived as not important in promoting
products); and
1 – Strongly not important (advertisement is perceived as not important at all in
promoting products).
The third section of the survey will aim to find out the psychological impact of
rhetorical persuasion to their behavior. Likert will also be used for survey item # 14, 15,
and 16 and will adopt the following interpretations:
5 - Strongly effective (rhetorical persuasion is perceived as very effective tool in
influencing their behavior, particularly purchasing);
29
4 - effective (rhetorical persuasion is perceived as effective tool in influencing
their behavior, but no most of the time);
3 – neutral (rhetorical persuasion is perceived as neither effective tool or not in
influencing their behavior, particularly purchasing);
2 – Not effective ((rhetorical persuasion is perceived as not effective tool in
influencing their behavior, particularly purchasing; and
1 – Strongly not effective ((rhetorical persuasion is perceived as not effective at
all in influencing their behavior, particularly purchasing).
For the interpretation of the Average Weighted Mean (AMW) the following
descriptive points will be used:
Relative Value
Statistical Limit
Interpretation
5
4.3 – 5
Strongly important / Strongly effective
4
3.5 – 4.2
Important / Effective
3
2.7 – 3.4
Neutral
2
1.9 – 2.6
Not important / Not effective
1
1.0 – 1.8
Strongly Not important / Strongly not
effective
The last part of the survey is three different print advertisement of well-known shoe
brand. Respondents will choose the most appealing advertisement for them and narrate
their reasons in the open-ended question.
Data Gathering
To administer the survey questionnaire, the researcher will seek permission and
approval from the Deputy of Academic Affairs. Upon approval, the survey will be
30
uploaded in Google Forms - a survey administration software developed by Google, an
American multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services
and products. Announcement through email will be sent to all students. The emailed
announcement will contain message informing the purpose of the survey and link that
students will click-on to participate in the survey. Two-week time-frame will be allotted
for data gathering. After two weeks, responses will be downloaded from the google forms.
Responses that will be downloaded in Excel spreadsheet will be scrutinize for missing or
invalid entries.
Data Analysis
For analysis of the data, appropriate statistical tools will be identified. Statistical
Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), will be utilize to analyze the data that will be
gathered.
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Appendix A Letter to Respondents and Survey Questionnaire
Dear Respondents,
As-salamu alaykum!
I am writing to ask you to participate in the survey. The purpose of our survey is to collect
information on the impact of rhetorical persuasion in advertising.
The success of the study depends much on your assistance and sincerest answers to the
survey. Rest assure that your responses are completely confidential and will be released
only as part of group summaries.
If you have any questions or comments about this survey, please feel free to email me at
xxx@gmail.com.
Thank you very much for helping with this important study.
Sincerely,
Ahmed AlSaguob Mohammed AlZharani Mubarak AlZuria
Student-Researchers
Survey Questionnaires
Direction: Kindly accomplish this survey very carefully and honestly.
Section A: Background Information
1. Gender
___ Male
___ Female
2. Age ___
35
3.
Monthly personal allowance bracket (allowance from parents/college/other
sources – for your personal expenses):
___ less than 500 SAR (Saudi Riyal)
___ 500 to 999 SAR (Saudi Riyal)
___ 1,000 to 1,499 SAR (Saudi Riyal)
___ 1,500 to 1,999 SAR (Saudi Riyal)
___ 2,000 to 2,499 SAR (Saudi Riyal)
___ 2,500 and above
Section B: Perceptions on Advertisement
4.
Do you think advertisement is important to promote the product?
___ Yes
___ No
___ Maybe
5.
Kindly rate the degree of importance of advertisement in promoting the
product:
___ Strongly important
___ Important
___ Neutral
___ Not important
___ Strongly not important
6.
What do you think is the main purpose of advertising a product?
___ to build awareness about the product
___ to remind you about the use of the product ___
to change your belief about the brand
___ to building the company’s image.
7.
Kindly rate the degree of importance of advertisement in promoting the
product:
___ Strongly important
___ Important
___ Neutral
___ Not important
___ Strongly not important
8.
Does advertisement influence you to buy the product?
___ Yes
___ No
___ Maybe
36
9.
To what degree, does advertisement influence you to buy?
___ Strongly influential
___ Influential
___ Neutral
___ Not influential
___ Strongly not influential
10. Which media of advertisement gets more your attention?
___ Print
___ Radio
___ TV
___ Social media (stream via youtube, facebook, instagram, etc.)
___ Others, please specify ___________________________
Section C: Perceptions on Rhetorical Persuasion of Advertisement
11. What attract you to look at advertisement?
___ endorsed by celebrity or well-known personality or good-looking model
___ presents facts and percentages (e.g. “99% of doctors claimed that….”) ___
something that shows or convey emotions (fear, desire, sympathy, love. e.g.
“Nike’s slogan: Just do it”)
12. Which aspect can influence you to buy the product?
___ product’s image or reputation ___
appealing advertisement
___ reasonable price of the product
___ others, please specify ________________________
13. Kindly rate the influence of celebrity-endorsed or celebrity-featured
advertisement to make you buy the product.
___ Strongly effective
___ Effective
___ Neutral
___ Not effective
___ Strongly not effective
14. Kindly rate the influence of advertisement that present facts and percentage
to make you buy the product.
___ Strongly effective
___ Effective
___ Neutral
___ Not effective
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___ Strongly not effective
15. Kindly rate the influence of advertisement that invoke emotions to make you
buy the product. ___ Strongly effective
___ Effective
___ Neutral
___ Not effective
___ Strongly not effective
16. Which of the following Niké advertisement is most appealing to you?
A. Advertisement 1
B. Advertisement 2
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C. Advertisement 3
17. Why your choice is the most appealing advertisement to you?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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