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Abstract: In the area of social influence and persuasion a particular emphasis on target audience and the development of influential messages is essential. The target audience analysis (TAA) process requires a tremendous work from identifying the characteristics of the broad target audience, refining this audience on several dimensions to ensuring the best route to persuasion, based on the state and vulnerabilities of the target audience. The critical elements are the ability of target audience members to show the desired behavioral change and the understanding of the significant attitudes, beliefs, values and motives of the target audience. As an effect of a proper and effective target audience analysis process, the manner of how persuasive messages are tailored should play a key role in making the target audience member susceptible to do deep or shallow processing. The development of the influential arguments/messages is strongly dependant of the ability and motivation of the target audience. Understanding the forthcoming strength of a persuasive message in order to properly tailor it to the target audience is crucial for any influence organization. The principles of persuasion developed by Robert Cialdini and the description of their theoretical underpinnings are as relevant as they are triggers of influence expanding. The influence process level of performance and effectiveness as well as the connection between target audience analysis and arguments used are elements that provides a very significant picture regarding inform and influence operations. The specific conformity of target audience to the desired supporting psychological operations objective is the product of assiduous work mainly of the target audience analysis phase of influence process. Once again the influence activities substantiate its important role to the overall operation enabling decision makers to gain significant objectives in the information environment.
Keywords: influence, persuasion, target audience, psychological operations.
The social influence area is closely connected to the information environment. The wide range of elements of the information environment represents particular targets for nonkinetic entities either military, or civilian. Information operations are particularly designed to produce effects in all three dimensions of information environment: physical, informational and cognitive.1 As an important actor affecting adversarial decision making process, Information Operations act upon the will, understanding and capability of the opponents through the three activities of influence, counter-command and information protection.2