Made and presented for the course Marketing Communication at the Viadrina University in the winter term 2012/2013

2. fear

3. Agenda
1. Theory
2. Research
3. Practical application

4. Shock tactics –
Better effect on the
audience and very
strong motivator

5. Fear Appeals
 Very common in marketing and every day life
 Persuasive information evoking fear or concern
 Frightening negative descriptions with negative or painful
consequences
 People pay attention to message
 Adopting recommendations in the message
 Category of emotional appeals

6. Message Content

7. Protection Motivation Model
 Severity of the threat
 Probability of occurrence
 Effectiveness of a coping response
 Ease with which the response can be implemented

8. Reaction

9. Extended Parallel
Process Model
 Fear = multidimensional
 Messages could lead to 2 opposing mechanisms:
 Danger control (message regarded as serious and
recommendation in the ad is followed)
 Fear control (physical defense mechanism reducing
fear leading to resistance)
 Positive reaction: perceived self-efficacy is higher than the
perceived threat

10. Threat and
recommendation
 Threat on a moderate level (not too strong to force
―freezing‖, strong enough to be taken seriously)
 Recommendations are
good, recognizable, realistic, convincing
 Emotion not the most important component
 description and recommendations have to be worked out
well
 Pattern of fear (fear only, fear-relief)

11. Vulnerability
 Extent to which a person things he is vulnerable
 Largest effect in behavior when person thinks he is
vulnerable
 If not: no effect by information about serious consequences
 Often misperceptions, denial, misunderstanding of the threat
 E.g. AIDS prevention for college students

12. audience

13. Target audience
 Different people fear different things
 Consider response of target audience
 Promotion people
 Prevention people
 Different reactions depending on culture, age, gender etc.
 Study with Canadian and Chinese smokers

14. disgust

15. Disgust as enhancing factor
 Fear + disgust = emotions of avoidance
 Fear: avoidance reaction when threat is imminent
 Disgust: immediate action after threat
 Experiment with different groups, based on questionnaire
 Result: disgust provides a positive enhancing boost to fear
appeals

16. Practical
applications

17. Tips from former smokers
Targeting smokers ages
18 to 34, it featured
former smokers who
were horribly disfigured
and scarred from
smoking relating their
own personal stories.

18. Check yourself before you
wreck yourself with a stranger,
because you don't know who
checked in before you.
– spots, for the AIDS Council

19. Lauren Luke is an
expert at covering
things up—which is
why she's the perfect
spokeswoman for a
campaign urging the
opposite when it
comes to domestic
violence.

20. References
 Bachman, K. (2012). Fed's Anti-Smoking Fear Campaign Scares Up Quitters: 50,000 dump the habit. Retrieved
Oct 20, 2012, from http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/feds-anti-smoking-fear-campaign-
scares-quitters-141682.
 Bachman, K. (2012). Fear Factor: Feds Launch New Anti-Smoking Campaign: Ads mimic blocked tobacco
warning labels. Retrieved Oct 20, 2012 from http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/fear-factor-
feds-launch-new-anti-smoking-campaign-138975.
 Belch, G. E., & Belch, M. A. (2007). Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications
Perspective. Boston: Irwin/McGraw-Hill.
 Cullers, R. (2012). Think Twice Before Foursquaring That Stranger, Say AIDS Ads: Who checked in before
you?. Retrieved Oct 20, 2012 from http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/think-twice-foursquaring-stranger-say-aids-
ads-144627.
 De Pelsmacker P., et al. (2009). Marketing Communications: A European Perspective. New York: Prentice Hall.
 Laroche, M., et al. (2001). A cross-cultural study of the persuasive effect of fear appeal messages in cigarette
advertising: China and Canada. International Journal of Advertising, 20(3), 297-317.
 LaTour, M. S. & Pitts, R. E. (1989). Using Fear Appeals in Advertising for AIDS Prevention in the College-Age
Population. Journal of Health Care Marketing, 9(3), 5-14.
 Mayfield, Z. (2006). Fear Appeal Messages and Their Effectiveness in Advertising. Retrieved Oct 20, 2012 from
http://voices.yahoo.com/fear-appeal-messages-their-effectiveness-advertising-31626.html.
 Nelfa (2011). The Appeal of Fear Appeals. Retrieved Oct 20, 2012 from
http://nelfa.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/the-appeal-of-fear-appeals/.
 Nudd, T. (2012). Ad of the Day: Refuge Lauren Luke covers up cuts and bruises in BBH's well-placed domestic-
violence PSA. Retrieved Oct 20, 2012 from http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ad-day-refuge-
141551.
 Fill, C. (2009). Marketing Communications: Engagement, Strategies, and Practice. Harlow: Prentice Hall.
 SWOV (2011). SWOV Fact sheet: Fear-based information campaigns. Retrieved Oct 20, from
http://www.swov.nl/rapport/Factsheets/UK/FS_Fear_appeals.pdf.
 Weinreich, N. (2006). Making Fear-Based Campaigns Work. Retrieved Oct 20, 2012 from http://blog.social-
marketing.com/2006/06/making-fear-based-campaigns-work.html.
 Witte, K. & Allen, M. (2000). A Meta-Analysis of Fear Appeals: Implications for Effective Public Health
Campaigns. Health Educ Behav, 27(5), 591-615. doi: 10.1177/109019810002700506.
 Young People’s Response to Intended Shocking Road Safety Messages (2007). Retrieved Oct 20,2012 from
http://www.slideserve.com/cher/fear-appeals.

21. Images
 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012). Shawns Ad. Retrieved Oct 23, 2012 from
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/resources/ads/tips-ad-shawn-full-v1a.pdf.
 Evaxebra (2008). Bloodbath. Retrieved Oct 20, 2012 from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/evaxebra/2908893510/sizes/l/.
 Hawk, Thomas (2006). The Calm After the Show. Retrieved Oct 23, 2012 from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/155918164/sizes/l/in/photostream/.
 JessArt (2009). Frightened. Retrieved Oct 23, 2012 from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36671572@N04/4142165844/sizes/l/in/photostream/.
 Martin, David (2009). Shoot him, now that you can!!!. Retrieved Oct 23, 2012 from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/salaboli/3370155708/sizes/z/in/photostream/.
 Shandi-lee (2010). Pieces. Retrieved Oct 20, 2012, from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shandilee/5022057355/sizes/l/.
 Wiseacre photo (2006). Through the mouth of your eye through the eye of the needle it's easier
for me to get closer to heaven than ever feel whole again. Retrieved Oct 23, 2012 from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiseacre/175479093/sizes/l/in/photostream/.
 Woplu (2009). Queuing. Retrieved Oct 23, 2012 from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wklemp/3375764665/sizes/l/in/photostream/.