CAT is quite an interesting concept that describes how people tend to adapt to their communication partners’ communication behavior. According to Howard Giles, this theory posits that people are capable of encouraging such friendly communication by changing their ways of talking or behaving. For marketers, understanding the Communication Accommodation Theory can be highly beneficial when crafting messages for different target audiences. When marketing messages are crafted in a way that speaks to certain groups, it creates a better connection with that brand and the consumers.
What is Communication Accommodation Theory?
In a nutshell, Communication Accommodation Theory is centered on two themes, convergence and divergence. A familiarisation process in which one modifies the language as well as the choice of words and how they convey a message to resemble that of the person to whom the message is being conveyed. It can make us appear more approachable and, therefore, closer. Whereas convergence refers to where we focus on similarity and how we have things in common, there is divergence which is where we focus on the dissimilarities that we have which makes the other person seem far.
To marketers, the tendency of when to combine or when to split with the target groups is either a boon or a bane. Continuing with the example, learning how a particular group perceives certain communication approaches will help in the process of improving the business message.
Using CAT in Marketing Messages
Marketers need to consider CAC by adapting their communication to reflect the segment the firm targets. For example, if a brand is going to target Generation Z, then it can use popular language supposed slang, and many pictures to intersect with the generation. On the other hand, if the target group is people of a certain age, perhaps a more businesslike approach, and clean, precise information could be preferable.
In this way, marketing and advertising professionals can communicate to not only the ears but also the minds of the targeted audience. It can lead to increased interest and better client relationships with clients; hence increased customer loyalty.
Building Better Engagement
Communication is thus a process of establishing relationships since that is what effective communication entails. The Communication Accommodation Theory – used in this aspect of marketing – can help to ensure that the marketer is as likely as possible to find a chord in their audience and thus create a more favorable response to the brand’s appeal. This is most advantageous in the current multiple segmentation where brands have to address themselves to multiple segments of consumers. This can make further the brand more relatable by targeting the cultural, social, or age segment the message is aimed at.
Conclusion
On its part, the knowledge of the Communication Accommodation Theory provides marketers with a perspective when it comes to changing the orientation of their communication skills by the identified target consumers. In serving the client, it is revealed that by controlling the communication channels, the business community can form more loyal customers through the appealing language used, the tone adopted and the messages conveyed. Communication has been considered one of the most critical factors when dealing with competition as it defines how you are going to reach your target audience.
