Compared to whom? The impact of status on third person effects in advertising persuasion in a South African context

Abstract

Abstract In an experiment conducted in South Africa, we show that perceptual differences between the self and other that underlie third person effects have not only magnitude (e.g., third person effects increase as perceived self‐other differences increase), but also valence. Specifically, individuals contrast themselves against lower status others, resulting in greater third person effects, but compare themselves favorably with higher status others, resulting in smaller third person effects. High status others serve as a norm against which people gauge their own and others' responsiveness to persuasion attempts like advertising. Implications for third person effects, status and the construal of the ‘other,’ and the socio‐cultural context of advertising are discussed. Additionally, we describe managerial considerations regarding branding and target marketing that diverge from Western assumptions about persuasion knowledge and receptivity toward advertising. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.