Expectancy Violations, Message Elaboration, and It Can Wait® Messages

ABSTRACT

We apply a test and extension of Expectancy Violations Theory (EVT) to AT&T’s It Can Wait® promotional messages. Though promising, EVT remains underutilized in mass media contexts. We propose that message elaboration mediates the effects of violating audience expectations of message novelty, dramatic impact, and emotional arousal. Findings indicated that emotional arousal and dramatic impact violations had indirect effects on persuasiveness through message elaboration. This study contributes to theory by providing evidence that in mediated contexts violating message expectations can lead to greater persuasion. Implications for incorporating audience expectations into the design of safety messages are discussed.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ Three different PSAs were utilized to avoid mono-operation bias (Mulac & Kunkel, 1989) and provide variability across the three message features of interest. Prior to selecting these messages, we conducted a focus group to gauge student perceptions of the PSAs disseminated on the It Can Wait website. The three PSAs were selected out of all the video PSAs on the site. Students rank ordered the PSA in terms of dramatic impact, emotional arousal, and novelty. We chose the PSAs with the highest, lowest, and average means with respect to message sensation value.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sam R. Wilson

Sam R. Wilson (M.A., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) is a PhD candidate in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is interested in the social cognitive consequences of persuasive message features, particularly conflicting information and message ambiguity.

Brian Quick

Brian L. Quick (PhD, Texas A & M University) is a Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His recent work examines various strategies to promote public health, environmental conservation, injury prevention, safety, financial stability, and community engagement.

Salah H. Al-Ghaithi

Salah H. Al-Ghaithi is a PhD student in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.