Final answer:
Cognitive processing occurs when consumers pay close attention to an ad's content, which is best suited for products requiring detailed consideration, such as computers targeting an analytical and motivated audience like small business owners. Option c.
Step-by-step explanation:
When the central processing of an advertising message occurs, the consumer pays close attention to the message content and scrutinizes the message arguments. This type of processing is known as cognitive processing option c. In contrast, the peripheral route relies on peripheral cues like celebrity endorsements or positive emotions and does not require deep processing of the information.
For the central route to persuasion to be effective, the audience must be analytical and motivated, as they are willing to engage in the processing of the information. Products best sold using this route would include those that are complex and require careful consideration, like computers. An audience likely to be influenced includes small business owners who would be interested in the computer’s processing speed and memory capacity.
Conversely, when considering the peripheral route to persuasion, this is more about the association with positive characteristics and requires less cognitive effort. This approach may be suitable for products like clothing where the focus is on appearing trendy or popular.