Abstract Language More Convincing To Consumers, Study Finds

The next time you want to convince someone to vote for your favored political candidate, or to buy a certain product, use abstract language, say the authors of a new study published in the The Journal of Consumer Research. The study found that consumers respond better to product descriptions when they are framed in abstract as opposed to concrete terms. "Our finding that abstract messages have a stronger impact on buying intentions can be translated straightforwardly into the recommendation to use abstract language if you try to convince someone of the (positive or negative) consequences of buying a product, or of following your advice," the authors explain.

"Our finding that abstract messages have a stronger impact on buying intentions can be translated straightforwardly into the recommendation to use abstract language if you try to convince someone of the (positive or negative) consequences of buying a product, or of following your advice," the authors explain.

During the study, consumers who described a positive experience with a product (like a smooth shave with a new razor) were found to use more abstract language when they had a positive opinion about the brand before they tried the product. "When consumers were told that the product was a brand they did not like, they used more concrete language to describe a positive experience. Thus, consumers use different ways of describing the exact same experience, depending on whether they use a liked or disliked brand," the authors write.

For a disliked brand, favorable experiences are seen as exceptions, and concrete language helps consumers to frame the experience as a one-time event, the authors explain.

On the receiver end, the studies showed that consumers responded differently to abstract and concrete language. "In our study of receivers, we gave consumers a description of a positive product experience, and asked them to estimate the sender's opinion about the products," the authors write. "We found that perceived opinion of the sender was more positive when the description was cast in more abstract terms." For descriptions of negative experiences, the perceived opinion of the sender was more negative when the description used abstract language.

Citation: Gaby A. C. Schellekens, Peeter W. J. Verlegh, Ale Smidts. 'Language Abstraction in Word of Mouth', Journal of Consumer Research, August 2010

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