Enhancing Motivation, Ability, and Opportunity to Process Public Relations Messages
(Kirk Hallahan)
Kirk Hallahan is assistant professor in the Department of Journalism and Technical Communication at Colorado State University. He try to explain motivation, ability, and opportunity (M-A-O) model in the consumer psychology literature, this article suggests that motivation, ability, and opportunity provide theoretically rich frameworks to address strategies for effective communication with publics in general and inactive publics in particular. Examples of specific techniques frequently used in the construction of public relations messages are related to each of these three concepts.
Creating effective messages to reach strategically important audiences is a critical function in public relations. There are four principal types of publics: active, aroused, aware, and inactive. Active publics are groups with high involvement in and knowledge about a topic, it is rarely difficult to locate a group or capture its attention. Inactive publics are groups with low levels of involvement in or knowledge about a topic of interest to the organization. Inactive publics are also the segments that many clients want to reach because these groups represent large numbers of potential purchasers, investors, workers, donors, or voters. From a theoretical perspective, inactive publics are the groups from which aroused, aware, and active publics spring.
THE M-A-O MODEL
During the past 15 years, social psychologists and consumer researchers have devoted considerable attention to identifying factors that impact message elaboration and message-evoked thinking. Out of this research agenda has emerged a consensus that three broad factors moderate or serve as antecedents to information processing by individuals: motivation, ability, and opportunity (M-A-O). This M-A-O model is predicated on findings that suggest people engage in progressive levels of processing, ranging from superficial to deep processing.
The M-A-O model suggests communicators have two key challenges when constructing effective messages. The first is to match message content to an audience’s level of processing. Petty and Cacioppo suggested that when consumers are unlikely to process information, it is important to sprinkle messages with affectladen executional cues that will attract audiences and cause them to like a message. However, once individuals engage in deep processing, message affect is not as important as the strength or quality of arguments. The second role of message cues is to encourage deeper message processing, that is, to move individuals along the continuum of depth processing toward elaboration. MacInnis, Moorman, and Jaworski suggested in-depth processing is desirable for two reasons: first, attention is likely to be modest as a result of clutter and distractions in the typical public communication setting. Second, enhancing levels of processing evokes more enduring memory and attitude change.
Componen of the Model
1. Motivation
Motivation, the first antecedent in the model, refers to heightening arousal so that inactive audiences are ready, willing, interested, or desire to process a message.
2. Ability
Ability, the second antecedent, refers to the need to maximize an individual’s skills or proficiencies in interpreting a message.
3. Opportunity
Opportunity relates to the characteristics of the message that favor information processing. Whereas ability relates to information processing operations within the individual, opportunity focuses on attentional and capacity issues created by a communicator.
Enhancing Motivation, Ability, and Opportunity
Enhance Motivation | Enhance Ability | Enhance Opportunity |
Attract and encourage audiences to commence, continue processing | Make it easier to process the massage by tapping cognitive resources | Structure messages to optimize processing |
Create attractive, likable massages (create effect). Appeal to hedonistic needs (sex, appetite, safety). Use novel stimuli - Photos - Typography - Over sized formats - Large number of scenes, elements - Changes in voice, silence, movement Make the most of formal features - Format size - Music - Color - Include key points in headlines Use moderately complex massages. Use sources who are credible, attractive or similar to audience. Involve celebrities. Enhance relevance to audience-Ask them to think about a question. Use stories, anecdotes or drama to draw into action. Stimulate curiosity: use humors, metaphors, questions. Vary language, format, source. Use multiple, ostensibly independent sources. | Include background, definitions, explanations. Be simple, clear. Use advance organizers, e.g. headlines. Includes synopses. Combine graphics, text and narration (dual coding of memory traces) Use congruent memory cues (same format as original). Label graphics (helps identify which attributes to focus on). Use specific, concrete (versus abstract) words and images. Include exemplars, models. Make comparison with analogies. Show actions, train audience skills through demonstrations. Include marks (logos, logotypes, trade marks), slogans and symbols as continuity devices. Appeal to self-schemas (roles, what’s important to audience’s identity) Enhance perceptions of self-efficacy to perform tasks. Place messages in conducive environment (priming effects) Frame stories using culturally resonating themes, catchphrases. | Expend sufficient effort to provide information. Repeat messages frequently. Repeat key points within text-in headlines, text, captions, illustrations, etc. Use longer messages. Include multiple arguments. Feature “interactive” illustrations, photos. Avoid distractions - Annoying music - Excessively attractive spokespersons - Complex arguments - Disorganized layouts Allow audiences to control pace of processing. Provide sufficient time. Keep pace lively and avoid audience boredom. |
The M-A-O model is not a formula for persuasion, but rather focuses on the antecedents of information processing more generally. Thus it has broad implications that can be applied across different theoretical approaches to public relations. It could be argued that enhancing motivation, ability, and opportunity is fundamental to communications with any of the principal types of publics that might be the targets of public relations efforts. Yet, the value of the M-A-O model is particularly important in dealing with inactive publics, where motivation, ability, and opportunity are all low.
Analyze ACER Techniques to Get The Public's Attention
Picture : Poster ACER in Indonesia
In developing the brand, ACER did not hesitate to disburse large enough to communicate its brand in various media. As far as communication is adapted to the character of consumers in countries targeted market. Promotional materials all done in the country ranging from the selection of the agency, an advertising model to design. Print and outdoor media to communicate the main option. Electronic media such as the television commercial is not suitable for this product. That's why ACER promotion in each country will vary where ACER products operate. Local approach is done because ACER believes that local people understand the characteristics of the market is much more country.
ACER much prefer the print media, such as magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, posters to billboards. In a convey the message to the public, ACER using a simple background, as well as an interesting use of images to enhance the motivation of the public to receive the message. And add the phrase slogan such as "The Power is in your hands. Have fun! "On tablet products to enhance the ability of the public to understand the intent of the image processing messages. The overall design is used ACER too simple, not too many words and images that could cause confusion in the delivery of the message to the public. So that ACER can grab the opportunity to get the public's attention, and the message can be conveyed in a short time.
It also causes ACER can dominate the market as one of the marketing strategies to increase motivation, ability and opportunity so that their products can be accepted by every society in the world.
It also causes ACER can dominate the market as one of the marketing strategies to increase motivation, ability and opportunity so that their products can be accepted by every society in the world.
