Final answer:
The president is using the peripheral route of processing, which relies on authority or status rather than factual data, appealing to trust and emotions rather than critical thinking and detailed analysis.
Step-by-step explanation:
When the president says, "Everything in the war is going as planned. Trust me, I am the president," he is using the peripheral route of processing. This form of persuasion relies on the authority or status of the person making the statement rather than factual information or logical argumentation.
In the context of persuasion, the central route requires the target audience to be analytical and motivated, focusing on data and logic to make a judgment. However, the peripheral route utilizes cues like authority, attractiveness, or association with positive emotions, rather than factual details. This route is also known to lead to shorter-term changes in attitudes and behaviors, given that it necessitates less effort and cognitive processing from the audience.
An example of peripheral persuasion in marketing might be a celebrity endorsement, which does not inherently provide information about the quality or features of the product but instead relies on the celebrity's positive image to influence consumers. In contrast, the central route would involve detailed information and data about the product's features to convince a more analytical audience, such as small business owners evaluating computers based on processing speed and memory capacity.