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

William J McGuire

Journal of Consumer Research, 2000, vol. 27, issue 1, 109-14

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.

Date: 2000
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:jconrs:v:27:y:2000:i:1:p:109-14

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