A pharmaceutical company wants to promote a new over-the-counter cough medicine. The company has hired as its spokesperson an actor who has played a physician for several years on a popular soap opera. The first line of the commercial is, "Hi. I play a doctor on television." For people who are unfamiliar with this actor, the message source lacks ________ , one of the source attribute categories.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The message source lacks credibility because the audience may not know if the actor actually has any medical expertise or qualifications to promote a cough medicine. The fact that the actor has only played a physician on television does not necessarily mean they have any medical knowledge in real life.

A Pharmaceutical Company Wants to Promote a New Over-The-Counter Cough