Sources and Spokespersons

Source

Source means the person involved in communicating a marketing message, either directly or indirectly. A direct source is a spokesperson who delivers a message and/or demonstrates a product or service, like tennis star Andre Agassi who endorses Head tennis rackets. An indirect source, say, a model, doesn't actually deliver a message but draws attention to and/or enhances the appearance of the ad. Marketers try to select individuals whose traits will maximize message influence. The source may be knowledgeable, popular, and/or physically attractive; typify the target audience; or have the power to reward or punish the receiver in some manner.

Various sources in advertisements can be:

• Celebrities
• CEOs
• Experts
• Typical Persons

Of all listed above celebs are typically the most common. Celebs help create emotional bond with the products. For e.g. Sachin Tendulkar has been the favorite brand ambassador for many brands due to his connect with the people. 

Whenever it comes to excellence, only a few names come up to demonstrate the dominance in their respective fields. The case is same with BMW and Sachin Tendulkar too. The carmaker has always excelled in whatever it brings into the market, while the latter needs no introduction for his contribution and success in the world of cricket. Now both the names are coming together in a spirit of partnership. 

Instead of celebs advertisers can use a CEO as the spokes person or source. Below ad shows Dave Thomas featuring in Wendy's ad.

Expert Sources includes physicians, lawyers, accountants and financial planners. These tend not to be famous but they provide backing for testimonials, serve as authoritative figures, demonstrate products and enhance the credibility of informative advertisements. The below ad of Sunsilk shows the credibility of experts from all over the world in creation of New Sunsilk Shampoo. 

Final category is the typical person sources. They can either be paid actors or models or typical everyday people used in advertisements. Below shown is Hero Honda ad campaign featuring Indian citizens displaying there pride for Hero Honda.

Source Characteristics

Herbert Kelman developed three basic categories of source attributes: credibility, attractiveness, and power. Each influences the recipient’s attitude or behavior through a different process. 

Credibility 

It is the extent to which the recipient sees the source as having relevant knowledge, skill, or experience and trusts the source to give unbiased, objective information. There are two important dimensions to credibility, expertise and trustworthiness. A communicator seen as knowledgeable—someone with expertise—is more persuasive than one with less expertise. But the source also has to be trustworthy—honest, ethical, and believable. The influence of a knowledgeable source will be lessened if audience members think he or she is biased or has underlying personal motives for advocating a position (such as being paid to endorse a product)

For example the below Cadbury ad uses both knowledge and trustworthiness to convince the customers of the quality of the Cadbury's brand

Using Trustworthiness

Using Expertise

Intel Ad showcasing the expertise of Employees at Intel who have helped developed the robustness of the product that Intel has

Using Corporate Leaders as Spokespeople

The above ad shows Michael Dell testifying for Dell and focusing on Dell Commitment for customers

Attractiveness 

A source characteristic frequently used by advertisers is attractiveness, which encompasses similarity, familiarity, and likability.Similarity is a supposed resemblance between the source and the receiver of the message, while familiarity refers to knowledge of the source through exposure. Likability is an affection for the source as a result of physical appearance, behavior, or other personal traits.

Applying Similarity

Applying Likability: Using Celebrities

Applying Likability: Decorative Models

Advertisers often draw attention

to their ads by featuring a physically attractive person who serves as a passive or 

decorative model rather than as an active communicator.

Source Power

The final characteristic in Kelman’s classification scheme is source power. A source has power when he or she can actually administer rewards and punishments to the receiver. An indirect way of using power is by

using an individual with an authoritative personality as a spokesperson.

The ad below shows Amir Khan a popular movie star advocating respect and safe environments for tourists in India as part of Athithi Devo Bhav Campaign