Lauren Sabatino

Persuasion

Processing Persuasive Messages

The commercial that I chose to analyze is the Pepsi commercial with Cardi B, Lil Jon,

and Steve Carrell. There are two ways that this commercial can be analyzed. One way is the

elaboration likelihood model, and the second is the heuristic-systematic model. According to the

textbook, the elaboration likelihood model “provides a comprehensive framework to

understanding the effects of a host of a source, message and receiver factors on persuasion”

(Perloff, 232). The heuristic-systematic model “offers a compelling explanation of message

processing when people opt to expend relatively little effort and devote few resources to the

task” (Perloff, 231).

Under the elaboration likelihood model, there are two routes; the central route and the

peripheral route. The central route is “characterized by considerable cognitive elaboration”

(Perloff, 232). The central route uses reason and evaluation to help interpret a persuasive

message, and it also sticks with your long-term memory. The peripheral route is when “people

examine the message quickly or focus on simple cues to help them decide whether to accept the

position advocated in the message” (Perloff, 232-233). The peripheral route has an appeal of

emotion, and an appeal to a celebrity to process a persuasive message. This route involves your

short-term memory. I think the Pepsi commercial falls under the peripheral route for the

elaboration likelihood model. I think this because there is an appeal of emotion and an appeal of

celebrities. It appeals to emotions because the commercial is funny, especially at the end where
Steve Carrell is saying Cardi B’s and Lil Jon’s catch phrases, then says he needs to get his own.

There is also an appeal to celebrities because there are three different celebrities in it, and if the

person processing this message likes Lil Jon, Cardi B, or Steve Carrell, they might buy Pepsi

since they are promoting it and saying that it is the best soda.

The heuristic-systematic model is different. This model looks at information and opinions

without a lot of effort. There are three different fallacies that are in this model. The bandwagon

fallacy, which is where someone will accept or reject a message based on what other people are

saying about it, the expert fallacy, which is saying that something is true or false just because

someone who is an expert on the says its either true or false, and the length of the message which

means that the longer the message is the more strength it has. I think that the Pepsi commercial is

part of the bandwagon fallacy. I think this because if people see their favorite artists on

television, and they actually believe what they are saying and that Pepsi is the best soda, that

they will jump on board with them and they will start to drink Pepsi.

The Pepsi commercial was my favorite commercial this year during the Superbowl. I

wish I liked soda so I could try Pepsi to see if it’s good or not, but I think if I saw this

commercial and I liked soda, I would start drinking Pepsi. All of the actors they used in the

commercial and relevant to most of the viewers, so that has definitely made some people jump

over to the Pepsi train instead of Coke.

Works Cited

Perloff, Richard M. The Dynamics of Persuasion: Communication and Attitudes in the 21st

Century. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2017.