Fear Appeal Theory (In Advertising)

"THE FEAR APPEAL (ADVERTISING)"

Analysis:

This site has a list of uses for using fear appeal as a tactic for marketing products and services in order to persuade people to donate or follow a service. 

Findings:

-"Fear Appeal persuades people to feel that they are assuming a risk if they do or do not purchase a certain product. The idea is that if consumers don’t use the product you are advertising, you make them feel like there may be undesirable consequences as a result."

When Should I Use the Fear Appeal?

-"particularly if there are consequences for not purchasing a product. For example, if you sell fire extinguishers and your advertising strategy is to show how you may save your family members’ lives if you have an extinguisher during a fire, you are appealing to a fear in consumers that if they don’t buy a fire extinguisher, they are risking their family members’ lives."

How to apply fear appeal in advertising

-"use images and phrasing designed specifically to evoke fear or concern. You might think to the famous no-smoking ads where people had developed serious deforming illnesses from smoking. The images of people with holes in their throats, missing teach, ruined vocal cords, and lung cancer were designed to make people fear smoking."

Newbold, C. (2017, September 14). THE FEAR APPEAL (ADVERTISING). The Visual Communication Guy. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2017/09/14/the-fear-appeal-advertising/