Popular Culture Review Vol. 5, No. 1, February 1994 | Page 137
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shopping. The traditional ritual of shopping is recreated by QVC
hosts using a variety of persuasive message strategies including
attitudinal similarity or commonality, affinity seeking strategies,
credibility, and humor (Mohan, 1992; Pohl & Hartman, 1992).
The three strategies identified by Pohl and Hartman are: sales
personalization, product credibility, and humor.
Sales
personalization is defined as "source-oriented process used to
emphasize attitudinal similarities between buyer and seller which
may be based on interpersonal attraction" (Pohl & Hartman, 1992).
The attitudinal sim ilarities and interpersonal attraction are
evidenced when the on-air hosts relate experiences they themselves
have had with the designated product. The hosts also relay
different uses for the product other than the standard usage. For
example, Judy Crowe told the viewers that she used the three pan
warmer as a slow cooker as well as a meal warmer.
The hosts are also interested in the caller and ask what specific
experiences they have had with the product. A woman from
California, for example, called in about an art-deco kit QVC was
advertising and told Mary Beth she used the kit to design stained
glass windows. Mary Beth was excited and told the caller what a
great idea this was and ask if she would send a picture of the window
so they could show it on the air. The caller was thrilled and
continued to sing the praises of the art-deco kit. In this dialogue the
caller was drawn to the host based on similar likes and attitudes.
This is a good example of interpersonal attraction.
Another use of interpersonal attraction is the host's display of
interest in and about the caller. When a person calls in, the host
always ask the individual's name and where they are calling from,
how the weather is in that part of the country, if they have anyone
watching QVC with them and who they are, salutations to those
friends or family members of the caller, what the caller is interested
in purchasing t<^ay, if they have ever bought from QVC before, and
are they satisfied with the products. For example, Kathy Levin has
a dog named Chelsey. Viewers who watch Kathy often hear stories
about Chelsey, so when they call in Kathy gets to hear stories about
the caller's dog or cat and she in turn will relate yet another Chelsey
episode. This strategy draws the caller in and gets them interested in
Kathy and things that she herself is interested in, such as the