An audience’s cultural background determines its reaction to persuasive messages. Understanding the core values, cultural norms, and cultural premises of your audience is key to crafting effective emotional appeals.

Core values are beliefs shared by members of the same culture. Values such as individualism, hard work, and freedom are some you may recognize and believe in. Arguments that challenge core values tend to be unsuccessful.

Cultural norms are behavioral rules to which members of a group generally adhere. For example, it is a cultural norm in much of the Western world for both women and men to pursue an education. Persuasive messages that contradict cultural norms are rarely successful.

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Cultural premises are beliefs about identity and relationships firmly embedded in a culture. Some Western cultural premises include the notion that wealth is worth pursuing, and that science and technology improve our lives. Audiences who feel the very premises of their culture are being challenged are difficult to persuade.