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Standing on the Shoulders of Ancients: Consumer Research, Persuasion, and Figurative Language

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  • McGuire, William J

Abstract

Ours is an age of consumerism, and the study of persuasion is a central topic of consumer research. Over time our knowledge of most persuasive topics has grown, but on a few topics knowledge has been lost. One lost topic is the persuasion effect of using figurative language (tropes, rhetorical figures) in communications, which had been a popular issue in earlier ages of persuasion but in our own era has been largely ignored. This neglect can be corrected by our "standing on the shoulders of ancients" and exploiting the progress made during earlier rhetorical ages in identifying and classifying tropes and hypothesizing how inclusion of such rhetorical figures affects perceptions and impacts of communications. A program of research on the effects of figurative language is described as an example of how giving greater consideration to ancient wisdom can enhance our understanding of persuasive communication and consumer behavior, especially in the creative hypothesis-generating phase of research. Copyright 2000 by the University of Chicago.

Suggested Citation

  • McGuire, William J, 2000. "Standing on the Shoulders of Ancients: Consumer Research, Persuasion, and Figurative Language," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 27(1), pages 109-114, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:v:27:y:2000:i:1:p:109-14
    DOI: 10.1086/314312
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    Cited by:

    1. Jérôme Boutang & Michel de Lara, 2016. "Risk Marketing," Working Papers hal-01353821, HAL.
    2. de Burgh-Woodman, Helene & Brace-Govan, Jan, 2006. "What's in a Name? A Comparative Analysis of Surf and Snow Brand Personalities," MPRA Paper 25385, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 28 Dec 2006.
    3. Herrmann, Andreas & Goldstein, Daniel G. & Stadler, Rupert & Landwehr, Jan R. & Heitmann, Mark & Hofstetter, Reto & Huber, Frank, 2011. "The effect of default options on choice—Evidence from online product configurators," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 483-491.
    4. Gavin L. Fox & Stephen J. Lind, 2020. "A framework for viral marketing replication and mutation," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 10(3), pages 206-222, December.
    5. Annye Braca & Pierpaolo Dondio, 2023. "Developing persuasive systems for marketing: the interplay of persuasion techniques, customer traits and persuasive message design," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2023(3), pages 369-412, September.
    6. Sarah N. Keller & Timothy J. Wilkinson & A. J. Otjen, 2021. "REAL ID: privacy concerns still a factor, but weakly so," Journal of Transportation Security, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 157-176, December.

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