Lyubomira Spasova

Department of Social Sciences and Business Language Training,

Trakia University, Stara Zagora,

Bulgaria

E-mail: liubomira1975@abv.bg

ORCID 0000-0002-1438-9104 

Influence of marital status on persuasion strategies in advertising regarding intention to purchase

Abstract. This study has three chief objectives. Firstly, it aims to identify individual susceptibility to Cialdini’s persuasion strategies among consumers with different marital status. Secondly, it focuses on determining the susceptibility of each family member to persuasive strategies. Finally, the study examines the purchasing funnel among consumers with different marital status and different family roles. Two measurement scales are applied: the STPS questionnaire to establish susceptibility to persuasion strategies and the purchase funnel hierarchy model. The results of the first analysis of variance (ANOVA) show that divorced/separated users are susceptible to the principle of liking and authority, and married users – to commitment/consistency and social proof. The second variance analysis found the susceptibility of the children in the family: the first child was affected by liking, the second child – by scarcity, and the third – by commitment/consistency. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) of a family member with age differences as the covariate shows that consumers of advertising exhibit a strong sensitivity to the principle of unity, which affects widowed husbands or wives. In the second covariance analysis, a strong sensitivity to product preferences was observed for single husbands over 25 and for young adults under 25 for divorced/separated people. These scientific findings may be valuable to various specialists in social psychology, consumer behavior, and those interested in the dynamics of family purchases.

Received: October, 2023

1st Revision: August, 2024

Accepted: September, 2024

DOI: 10.14254/2071-789X.2024/17-3/11

JEL Classification: D20, M31, M37

Keywords: persuasion principles, STPS, purchase funnel, family purchasing in Bulgaria