Today we will again return to an episode by the wonderful team over at PsychTalks. This episode discusses the way that scary ads can change our behaviour. Please do note that this episode does contain some graphic descriptions within example advertisements.
‘Fear appeal’ ads are becoming increasingly prevalent within media.
These ads appeal to our emotions rather than our rational brains. They also use fear to try and jump start us into action.
The PsychTalks team describes that the recipe for these types of ads involves presenting the material in a way that makes us believe that there is a real issue and threat to ourselves and our loved ones. They aim for an ‘that could be me’ response.
Equally important, however, is the inclusion of an action plan within the ad to avoid the worst possible situation. This could be challenging but must be achievable. This is the ‘I can do something about it’ response.
These two elements work together to create an effective fear appeal ad.
While this recipe is relatively simple, it can be difficult to get right in the perfect balance.
The aim of fear appeal ads is to change behaviour, often in a target group. While behaviour change in any group can be a challenging task, well-developed evidence-based ads can be effective.
Wishing you a wonderful week,
TCS Team
Image credit: https://unsplash.com/@nampoh
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