Persuasion Definition, Meaning, and Ethics

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Persuasion Meaning (With Examples from PR)

Persuasion in pub­lic rela­tions (PR) is not about manip­u­la­tion or decep­tion; instead, it’s about present­ing com­pel­ling argu­ments and inform­a­tion that res­on­ate with the tar­get audi­ence, encour­aging them to see things from a par­tic­u­lar per­spect­ive. It’s about cre­at­ing an enga­ging and con­vin­cing nar­rat­ive that aligns with the audience’s val­ues and interests while advan­cing an organisation’s goals.

PR pro­fes­sion­als employ per­sua­sion as a crit­ic­al tool to influ­ence pub­lic opin­ion. We care­fully craft mes­sages that appeal to the emo­tions, val­ues, and needs of our stake­hold­ers, influ­en­cers, and pub­lics. We use storytelling, com­pel­ling visu­als, and oth­er per­sua­sion tech­niques to make these mes­sages more impact­ful. We also lever­age the power of social proof, show­cas­ing endorse­ments from respec­ted fig­ures or testi­mo­ni­als from sat­is­fied cus­tom­ers to enhance the cred­ib­il­ity of our message. 

Moreover, PR pro­fes­sion­als use stra­tegic tim­ing and place­ment to ensure that our mes­sages reach the audi­ence when they are most recept­ive. By skill­fully apply­ing these and oth­er per­suas­ive tech­niques, we can sway pub­lic opin­ion in favour of an organ­isa­tion, enhan­cing its repu­ta­tion and influence.

Example: “Real Beauty” by Dove

One of the most suc­cess­ful PR cam­paigns that effect­ively used per­sua­sion is Dove’s “Real Beauty” cam­paign. Launched in 2004, the cam­paign sought to chal­lenge the tra­di­tion­al beauty stand­ards por­trayed in the media and pro­mote a more inclus­ive defin­i­tion of beauty. 

By fea­tur­ing women of dif­fer­ent sizes, ages, and eth­ni­cit­ies in their advert­ise­ments, Dove appealed to the emo­tions (pathos) of the audi­ence and sparked a glob­al con­ver­sa­tion about body pos­it­iv­ity and self-esteem. 

The cam­paign also demon­strated Dove’s com­mit­ment to its brand val­ues (eth­os) and presen­ted a com­pel­ling argu­ment (logos) for rede­fin­ing beauty.

The suc­cess of the “Real Beauty” cam­paign can be attrib­uted to sev­er­al factors:

Example: “Share a Coke” by Coca-Cola

Another not­able example is the “Share a Coke” cam­paign by Coca-Cola. 

Launched in 2011 in Australia and later rolled out glob­ally, the cam­paign involved repla­cing the Coca-Cola logo on bottles and cans with fam­ous names, invit­ing con­sumers to “Share a Coke” with someone they know. This cam­paign effect­ively used pathos by cre­at­ing a per­son­al con­nec­tion with con­sumers and logos by encour­aging shar­ing, which aligns with the brand’s val­ues of bring­ing people together.

The “Share a Coke” cam­paign was suc­cess­ful due to its innov­at­ive and per­son­al­ised approach:

Persuasion and Professional Integrity

To suc­ceed with per­sua­sion tech­niques in pub­lic rela­tions, abide by these principles:

The power of per­sua­sion lies in its abil­ity to con­nect, engage, and influ­ence. The tool trans­forms mes­sages into com­pel­ling nar­rat­ives, brands into trus­ted names, and audi­ences into loy­al communities. 

Learn more: Persuasion Definition, Meaning, and Ethics

“Influence” by Robert B. Cialdini

Robert B. Cialdini pub­lished “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” in 1984, and his prin­ciples of influ­ence are widely cited. They provide a frame­work for under­stand­ing how people are per­suaded, and pub­lic rela­tions, advert­ising, and sales pro­fes­sion­als often use them. ⁹Cialdini, R. B. (2009). Influence: The psy­cho­logy of per­sua­sion (Rev. ed.). HarperCollins.

Here are Cialdini’s six principles:

These prin­ciples are power­ful tools for per­sua­sion and can be used indi­vidu­ally or in com­bin­a­tion to influ­ence per­cep­tions and behaviours.

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