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