A gender-focused review of the effect of message source attractiveness on persuasion: Implications for marketers and advertisers

Chanthika Pornpitakpan; Qiuling Li; Siu Fong Isabel Fu

doi:10.1515/commun-2017-0016

Article

A gender-focused review of the effect of message source attractiveness on persuasion: Implications for marketers and advertisers

Chanthika Pornpitakpan , Qiuling Li and Siu Fong Isabel Fu

Published/Copyright: April 2, 2017

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From the journal Communications Volume 42 Issue 2

Abstract

This study reviews research regarding the effects of source physical attractiveness on persuasion with focus on the interplay with source gender and receiver gender. Most evidence indicates that attractive female sources tend to be more persuasive than unattractive ones in attitudinal and behavioral measures. The results for male sources are equivocal, with few studies reporting the liability of male source attractiveness. Recipients’ sex is a poor predictor of source attractiveness impact for both male and female sources. The study’s contribution synthesizes decades of research on source attractiveness to suggest future research ideas for academics in marketing, psychology, and communications and to give recommendations for marketers, advertisers, and other practitioners aiming to influence people’s attitudes.

Keywords: source attractiveness; attitude change; persuasion; persuasive communication; literature review

Published Online: 2017-4-2

Published in Print: 2017-4-1

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/commun-2017-0016

Keywords for this article

source attractiveness; attitude change; persuasion; persuasive communication; literature review