1. Provoking the target audience
Prepared by J. Scott Armstrong (details on him at jscottarmstrong.com).
Please inform Scott about errors and also make suggestions (armstrong@wharton.upenn.edu)
Scott has taken these slides from adprin.com, a site that he founded. That site contains interactive versions of these
slides, along with linked references, videos, and webcasts, all in PPT and PPTX format that you can download.

2. A violation: Ad for watches
A print ad shows a person who has doused himself
with gasoline and then set himself on fire with the
caption, “Why kill time when you can kill
yourself?”
Effective?
See the next slide for the answer.
Adapted from AdPrin.com 2

3. No, the provocation is not related to a selling point
(Persuasive Advertising p 97)
When to provoke
Provoke customers only when it attracts attention to a selling point (Principle
3.6.1.)
Furthermore, the selling point should relate to solving the problem, as in the
Samaritans’ ad: “Why you should think more seriously about killing yourself.”
On the negative side, provocation can
– Overwhelm the message
– Lead to negative associations with the brand (Persuasive Advertising p
96-7)

4. Based on this exercise, write a small application step for yourself,
and set a deadline, preferably within one week. If you are
working with someone else, share your application plan and the
results of your application.
Adapted from AdPrin.com