Persuasive Advertising - J. Scott Armstrong [70]
Here is a representative study on fear. Two 60-second videos were prepared by editing an actual television infomercial for a stun gun. The first showed two policemen advocating the use of a stun gun for stopping assaults. The second showed the same police testimonies followed by these words written on the screen: “The following is an actual 911 call to police from a suburban neighborhood. The police were too late. The woman was viciously assaulted and raped.” Then viewers heard a voice-over of a 911 call from a woman alone in her house with an assailant breaking in. Her words, written on the screen, became more desperate as the assailant broke down her bedroom door. Her last hysterical words prior to her telephone going dead were, “Why are you here?! Why?! Why?! …” The researchers showed each tape to about 150 women. The high-fear version evoked greater insecurity and led to higher intentions to purchase a stun gun (LaTour and Rotfeld 1997).
“Experimental data overwhelmingly suggest that all other things being equal, the more frightened a person is by a communication, the more likely he or she is to take positive preventative action,” according to a review of the literature (Pratkanis and Aronson 2000, p. 210).
3.6. Provocation
Provocation, when used properly, can gain attention and lead customers to think about a solution. Consider this headline for a magazine ad that appeared below a picture of a knife: “Why you should think more seriously about killing yourself.” In this case, provocation was used to gain the attention of those considering suicide and to let them know that the Samaritans can help.
3.6.1. Provoke customers only when it attracts attention to a selling point
Barnardo’s, a British charity that is dedicated to helping vulnerable children, developed a “Giving children back their future” campaign. The ads showed shocking pictures: a four-year-old robs a bank; a six-year-old solicits as a prostitute; an infant injects heroin; a young boy is put in prison. The campaign won an IPA award for effectiveness (Rimini 2003).
Shocking images and controversial ideas can provoke viewers and listeners. They are likely to dominate people’s attention, thus, they should be related to a simple and clear selling point. Furthermore, the selling point should help to resolve the viewer’s feelings, otherwise, provocation might lead to negative thoughts about the advertiser’s product.
Another example of provocation: To draw attention to what they viewed as racist policies, in 2003 a student group held a bake sale on the UCLA campus. It involved selling items at higher prices to white students than to minorities. The message was that such a practice is analogous to the affirmative action scholarship plans used by universities to treat some people better than others simply because of their race. The university administrators called the bake sale racist and discriminatory, and tried to ban the students. As a result, the bake sale gained national media attention over the issue of whether racial discrimination by universities is proper.
Provocation can lead to negative associations for a brand. For example, a TV ad for Reebok’s “pump” sneakers showed, in slow motion, two bungee jumpers plunging off a bridge. When the lines contracted, the jumper wearing Reeboks is the only one left; next to him we see only his friend’s empty Nike shoes. After complaints (presumably from Nike, bungee operators, and customers), Reebok withdrew the