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How we make decisions, and how to reach people who’ve already made up their minds
Understanding the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) is crucial for brand strategy as it highlights the importance of tailoring communication to the audience's motivation and ability to engage. Brands can leverage both central and peripheral routes of persuasion to effectively reach consumers, ensuring that messaging resonates with varying levels of audience engagement. This approach emphasizes the need for storytelling and accessible information to foster deeper connections and lasting brand loyalty.
FastCompany: You’re scrolling Netflix at 10 pm, exhausted. You don’t read a single review or check Rotten Tomatoes. You pick the thumbnail that catches your eye: a face, a pose or gesture, a moment that sets the expected tone of the movie. Now contrast that with the last time you bought a car, or researched a medical diagnosis, or tried to understand a ballot measure you actually cared about. Different mental gears entirely. That difference has a name: the Elaboration Likelihood Model.
Developed by Richard Petty and John Cacioppo in the 1980s, the ELM explains how people process persuasive information differently depending on their motivation and ability to think critically. “Elaboration” refers to the mental effort invested when considering a message. The model describes two routes that effort can take. The central route involves careful evaluation based on logic, evidence, and argument. The peripheral route relies on superficial cues — the attractiveness of the person talking, the length of the message, the right endorsements. Central route processing tends to produce more durable, resistant attitude change.
Peripheral route processing tends to produce quicker, more temporary shifts. We all use both of these decision routes all the time. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-desktop.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-mobile.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Urbanism Speakeasy\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep quiet.
To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/\u0022\u003Eurbanismspeakeasy.com.\u003C\/a\u003E","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91453933,"imageMobileId":91453932,"shareable":false,"slug":"","wpCssClasses":""}} The key factors are motivation and ability. When a topic feels personally relevant and you have the time and knowledge to engage with it, you’re more likely to take the central route.
When you’re pressed for time, emotionally overwhelmed, or the topic just doesn’t feel urgent, the peripheral route takes over. Choosing a mobile phone Central route: Researching specifications, reading reviews, comparing features against your actual needs. Peripheral route: Everyone in your circle uses this brand. Choosing a movie on Netflix Central route: Reading reviews, watching trailers, considering the director or genre, with extra calculations if you’re watching with kids or a partner. Peripheral route: That thumbnail is a winner.
Choosing a political candidate Central route: Investigating policy positions, watching long-form discussions, reading their work, researching their financial backers and lobbyist connections. Peripheral route: This one has the correct party letter beside their name. Choosing a street design Central route: Analyzing surrounding land use, comparing traffic safety outcomes, studying how similar designs performed elsewhere. Peripheral route: This one has bike lanes. Two earlier figures cast a long shadow over how we think about persuasion.
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The article discusses a well-established psychological model applied to brand strategy, making it significant for professionals but not groundbreaking, while providing actionable insights relevant to their work.