Central Versus Peripheral Routes to Persuasion and the Elaboration Likehood Model

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Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

Psychologists Richard E. Petty and John T. Cacioppo developed the ELM model which explains the significance of message in changing the attitude of consumers towards the brand. The degree of information processing by a consumer is determined by the level of involvement in the product which gives us two elaboration situations. When the individual is involved deeply and rationally analyses and scrutinizes the persuasive message, it is called   the situation of high elaboration. Whereas in low elaboration situation, there is low involvement and no conscious or rational analysis of the persuasive message and the opinion is formed on the basis of the negative or positive cues in the message.

In a persuasive situation, motivation and ability decides the outcome for an individual. The route  is influenced by the extent   of elaboration. Both these factors determine elaboration. Motivational factors are relevance, accountability, involvement, consumers innate desire to enjoy thinking and level of arousal. Ability factors are the individual’s intellectual capabilities, knowledge, availability of cognitive resources, pressure of time or other distractions. Distractions affect the processing ability  of the message. The ELM model helps the marketing communications manager to design the message on the basis of the route of persuasion that the consumer follows. When both motivation and ability to process information is high, then consumers are most likely to engage in central processing. When either of the two is low, there is peripheral processing.