Fear, guilt & shame: The use of emotions in advertising to change public behaviour

1. Fear, guilt and shame
The use of emotions in advertising to
change public behaviour
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
1/24

2. Table of contents
Use of emotions: why?
Negative emotions: why?
How to regulate?
Case study: Benefit fraud
Other examples
To go further...
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
2/24

3. Use of emotions: why?
•
•
•
•
To “attract attention”
To be unforgettable
To “create particular brand
associations”
Finally: to sell the
product/service
Effectiveness? Manipulation? Ethics?
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
3/24

4. Why negative emotions?
•
A way to persuade people to change (Severin and Tankard)
•
”To persuade the audience in avoiding the negative effect by
practicing the positive behavior” (LaTour, et al.).
 oftenly used in addiction/public health/security campaigns
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
4/24

5. Why negative emotions?
•
“Sad-vertising” (David Bonnet) - Thai life insurance advert
“The marketing message behind all of these products is the same: if
you don’t buy it, something bad will happen. You’ll get fat. You’ll go
bald. You won’t perform. No one will love you. Your family will be
left homeless and penniless. You’ll be an outcast”. (Pearson,
2012:24)
http://youtu.be/FCHPWH-ZQ_k
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
5/24

6. Why negative emotions?
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
6/24

7. Why negative emotions?
•
Sad-vertising: why it works?
Moore and Henig, (1989)
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
7/24

8. Negative emotions:
examples
•
•
•
Benetton: shocking campaigns
NHS (UK): addiction to smoking
NSPCC (UK): child abuse
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
8/24

9. How to regulate?
•
ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) in UK
•
International Code of Advertising Practice: “Advertisements should
not without justifiable reason play on fear”
 Fairly subjective
 Should negative emotions should be used?
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
9/24

10. Case study: Benefit fraud
•
Purpose: “to change the culture of tolerance that sustains fraud”,
benefit fraud = real crime
•
Commissioned by: DWP (Department for Work and Pensions)
•
Loss estimation: £2billion/year (2003)
•
60% are linked to Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance &
Housing benefits (2003)
•
Launched nationally in Feb. 2001
•
Ways to advert: Internet, TV, press, radio, outdoor adverts
http://youtu.be/394Fs2Hj4W4
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
10/24

11. Case study: Benefit fraud
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
11/24

12. Case study: Benefit fraud
•
•
Results: 41% benefit fraud (1998-2005)
UK government: biggest spender on
advertising during this period in UK
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
12/24

13. Case study: Benefit fraud
Emotions: FEAR - GUILT
• Being trapped: Big Brother is watching you
• Living in the fear to be caught
• Don’t be a benefit fraud partner: tell us about it
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
13/24

14. Other examples
•
Anorexia (fear, shame, guilt)
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
14/24

15. Other examples
•
Child cruelty (shame, guilt)
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
15/24

16. Other examples
•
Buying flowers (guilt, shame)
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
16/24

17. To go further...
•
Can any product be advertised in any way? What about ethics?
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
17/24

18. To go further...
•
Is the advert really clear?
 what’s the message here?
Perceived message = Don’t drink
otherwise you can be raped!
Real message = Help your friends
stay in control
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
18/24

19. To go further...
•
Different ways to use FEAR when promoting your product
 Using common real fears (Pearson, 2012: 24)
e.g. sunscreens, Viagra, insurance
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
19/24

20. To go further...
•
Different ways to use FEAR when promoting your product
 Using humor to mitigate “defensive response” and “increase the
persuasiveness of fear advertising” (Mukherjee and Dubé, 2012)
High fear  high defensive answers
 less persuasive message
High fear + humor  less defensive answers
 more persuasive message
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
20/24

21. To go further...
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
21/24

22. To go further...
•
Different ways to use FEAR when promoting your product
 Using “instant fear” (Coffee advert)
http://youtu.be/5fybBwlxHNc
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
22/24

23. To go further...
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
23/24

24. Thank you!
Emilie Moliés – Market Research - 2013
24/24