The two-step flow theory in communications, an idea developed by sociologist Paul Lazarsfeld and his colleagues Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet focused on the flow of communication. The two-step flow theory claims that mass media flows to opinion leaders, and then those opinion leaders impact the general public. According to an article written in 2014 by Sujin Choi in The Social Science Computer Review, the sociologist’s study began in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1940, and they reported their findings in the seminal The People’s Choice in 1944 (Choi, 2014). Before this theory, most people believed that opinions were formed and trickled down from the elites in society. Today, this idea is still just as prevalent as it was when the theory was originally tested during the Roosevelt election. With all of this in mind, most of these thoughts from almost 80 years ago still are being studied today. There are some adaptations to the two-step flow theory due to the various channels of social media which ultimately have impacted how the theory flows. Public relations campaigns still use the two-step flow theory, and they take into account the changes to this theory because of social media. Therefore, the two-step flow theory in communications should be understood by public relations personnel, for their client to increase brand awareness in an effective way.
The two-step flow theory is necessary to understand even though mass media is consumed much differently from than it was when Lazarsfeld first began his research. A peer-reviewed article written in the Journalism Quarterly in the 1970s details the original study done by Lazarsfeld. Originally, the idea was: “ideas often flow from radio and print to the opinion leaders and from them to the less active sections of the population,” (Bostian, 1970). At the time, this theory was a major inspiration to research regarding the diffusion of information. A few years after in 1955, Elihu Katz who studied the theory at The Bureau of Applied Social Research at Columbia University, called the two-step flow theory in communications a turning point of conceptualization of the processes of mass communication (Bostian, 1970). Katz became involved with Lazarsfeld to further develop the theory. The first study of voter decision making due to the impacts of mass media yielded some surprising results. They found that the biggest impact was the opinion of other people. A few decades after this theory was published, it was criticized for being too simple, but the foundation of the theory remained accepted. The second tier of the theory was what make this idea new, and unique for its time. People focused on the impact of opinion leaders: “scholars found that OLs (opinion leaders) were distributed in all occupational groups and at every socioeconomic level. Moreover, OLs were experts in one field, not several. For example, political OLs were not the same individuals as OLs for fashion or cultural matters. OLs were also greater consumers of media than others – seeking information from several sources,” (Choi, 2014). The idea of an opinion leader is still researched when using political research, today. It is not as prevalent of an idea in other industries. The one major change with the two-step flow theory in recent years has been the introduction of social media. Below two graphs are included based on the research gathered to demonstrate social media’s impact:
With special attention to the second chart, remember that people on a social media platform such as Facebook can interact with the content on the site by liking or commenting on a post. This is available for that person’s followers to see. Another way people can share information on Facebook is by sharing articles through external links (Choi, 2014). The interactions of opinion leaders still are considered to be important, but in this chart, the general public has more of an influence on the rest of the general public. However, people only follow those in their circles generally speaking. This does have an impact on this theory because everyone has a different amount of followers and different amounts of interactions—no two people are identical. Social media basically gave a larger portion of the population to become opinion leaders. According to an article written in the Journal of Global Information Technology Management in 2013, e-commerce businesses were also impacted by the shift of the two-step flow theory because of changes in internet use. It was mentioned that: buyers heavily depend upon online experience and information acquisition to evaluate the trustworthiness of e-tailers,” (Chien, 2013). This idea of consumer behavior shifting is important to understand because it too is impacted by the shift in the two-step communication flow theory. People are developing opinions in many different ways and are becoming opinion leaders more frequently. This concept is important for public relation professionals to understand, especially in regards to a political campaign. A message is easily spread now, so now instead of just focusing on opinion leaders, it is now more than ever important to also focus on the general public.
In public relations, understanding the original two-step flow theory along with the modified version that includes social media is crucial in the implementation step of the four step process, which is what public relation professionals rely on. Understanding the target audience, so the client is successful in encouraging them to change their opinion to his or hers view, is a major priority for public relations professionals. A campaign that the two-step flow theory is applicable to would be the #NuggsForCater that Wendy’s did. This campaign is on the PRSA’s (Public Relations Society of America) website and is recognized for its greatness. According to an article in PR Week from June of 2017, the CCO (Chief Communications Officer) of Wendy’s, Liliana Esposito saw an opportunity when a Carter Wilkerson tweeted at Wendy’s asking for a lifetime supply of Chicken Nuggets if he got 18 million retweets (Washkuch, 2017). Although this seems comical, it worked. “The brand’s Twitter engagement was up 375% year-over-year during the #NuggsForCarter phenomenon, which came at the end of a busy stretch for the brand that included its first Super Bowl ad and social media jousts with accounts large (McDonald’s) and small (a fan who doubted the existence of refrigerators),” (Washkuch, 2017). This example of a campaign displays Wendy’s awareness of the two-step flow theory. They saw an opportunity to work directly with an opinion leader, in this case that is Carter Wilkerson. He perfectly displayed how he directly could interact with the general population using Twitter as his platform of choice. Since Twitter allows its users to retweet, this tweet from carter was retweeted over 18 million times. Because of the retweets, his followers, also referred to as the general public in the two-step flow theory, were also interacting with the Wendy’s brand. This campaign is something to learn from because not only did it come across as authentic on Wendy’s behalf, they effectively used the modern two-step flow theory that includes social media. Another notable campaign that also won a silver anvil award like the #NuggsForCarter was Einstein Bagel’s “Stirring up Buzz” effort. The idea behind this campaign was to promote the new healthy option bagels. The new bagel lineup consisted of a Espresso Buzz Bagel, a Cherry Chia Bagel and a Savory Parm Bagel that had beneficial vitamins and functional ingredients in them (Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc, 2017). Kerry Coyne, the Senior Vice President of Einstein Brothers Bagels, said that the company hopes that the nation’s four million nurses takes them up on their offer for a free bagel and smear. The nurses involved can show their support using the hashtag #NurseTheBuzz (Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc, 2017). This campaign is a great demonstration of a two-step flow theory because Einstein recognized who their opinion leaders would be with this healthy option of a bagel. Nurses are educated on health, and are known for being care takers. If the general public starts to see nurses posting about the new bagel lineup from Einstein’s, people will assume that the new food products are in fact healthy and good for them. Einstein’s is thinking ahead, and along the lines of industry trends, they are trying to break into the ever-growing health market that many consumers are becoming more aware of. With obesity on the rise in the United States, this makes Einstein’s, as a corporation, look responsible. Although these two campaigns, the #NuggsForCarter and the #NurseTheBuzz, were silver anvil finalists, the two-step flow theory is applicable on all levels of public relations practices. Healthy Penn State, a university wide campaign at Penn State University, could benefit from applying the two-step flow theory to their implementation. By targeting opinion leaders such as on-campus organizations, resident assistants and other forms of opinion leaders, more students will increase their awareness on the services provided by the Healthy Penn State campaign. Social media could also play a large role in gaining the interest of the general public. If the correct opinion leaders start to promote the wellness services, it will become more prevalent for university students. The importance of understanding and implementing the two-step flow theory into modern-day practices of public relations can make a large difference in the impact the campaign has on the general public.
The two-step flow theory in communications was a revolutionary study done by Paul Lazarsfeld. Understanding the general public, or the audience that the message is intended for, is a crucial part of being a successful public relations professional. With the adaptions to the theory, regarding social media, and keeping in mind who the main opinion leaders are and their influence, a strategic outreach method can be implemented. The #NuggsForCarter campaign and the #NurseTheBuzz campaign both kept in mind opinion leaders on social media, and because of their efforts, they were nominated for one of the biggest public relations awards. By diffusing a message into the public spectrum, it is important for a company or organization to be on the same page as opinion leaders. While this theory is basic sociology, the core of the idea can be used on any level of public relations.
Works Cited
Bostian, L. R. (1970). The two-step flow theory: Cross-cultural implications. Journalism Quarterly, 47(1), 109.
Chien, S., Chen, Y., & Wu, J. (2013). Building online transaction trust through a two-step flow of information communication. Journal of Global Information Technology Management, 16(4), 6-20.
Choi, S. (2014, November 7). The Two-Step Flow of Communication in Twitter-Based Public Forums. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc. (2017, May 04). Einstein Bros.® Bagels Launches New Boosted Bagels by Giving Nurses a Complimentary Bagel to Buzz About.
June 21, 2017 by Frank Washkuch. Inside the Cannes Lion-winning #NuggsForCarter campaign with Wendy’s Liliana Esposito.