The Elaboration Likelihood model was developed as a theory about persuasive communication that has two routes and is based on customer’s personal relevancy to the message. The two routes are the Central Route of Persuasion and the Peripheral Route of Persuasion, the latter being the main focus of this post.
What exactly is the Peripheral Route of Persuasion in the ELM model? It simply means that customers have low motivation and therefore ability to process a particular message, they will take the peripheral route. More specifically, marketers are able to persuade customers through more superficial cues that aren’t necessarily related directly to the core content of the message, meaning the attractiveness or credibility of the source. This can look like utilizing a popular celebrity to promote a particular good or service, that may not have a strong correlation or relevancy to the brand, but their popularity brings in more customers that may not traditionally be interested.
An example of how this has been used in fashion and retail, is the 2014 collaboration between PUMA and Rihanna. While PUMA may be more typically associated with sports and athletes, Rihanna was actually appointed as their Creative Director in December 2014. Rihanna is widely known for not just her music career, but also for having impeccable style. The partnership between Rihanna and PUMA aimed to leverage Rihanna’s popularity and style and its effects on fashion trends in order for PUMA to be able to make their way into more streetstyle and every day fashion, not just sports and athleticwear. (https://hypebeast.com/2025/2/fenty-x-puma-avanti-ls-jelly-slide-pocket-bag-release-info)
Rihanna was able to collaborate with PUMA and her own brand, FENTY, to create streetwear and sneaker collections that were wildly successful. To this day, PUMA continues to release sneaker styles in collaboration with FENTY that allows the brand to maintain relevancy and meet customer demand (https://about.puma.com/en/newsroom/news/fenty-x-puma-officially-back-rihanna-launches-avanti). This collaboration is a prime example of a brand using the parameters of the peripheral route of persuasion, influencing customers through external cues of a celebrity endorsement.
