Michelle_ch6

Fear Appeals

When companies are using fear appeals in their advertisements they are trying to evoke an emotional response from their viewers about a incoming threat or danger of some kind. The article I found discusses the growth of fear appeals within advertising.

https://themarketingagenda.com/2014/09/11/the-growth-of-fear-appeals-in-advertising/

This article talks about how most people think of fear appeals as something really scary or threatening when really it could just be people being scared of becoming an outcast for not having a certain pair of shoes. Fear appeals are not always "high-fear" such as smoking or driving while texting commercials. "Low-fear" is something subtle like running out of shampoo. The purpose of those "low-fear" appeals is to induce anxiety and move people to make a change to get rid of it. It's interesting how these companies are able to scare consumers into purchasing their products just by pushing us a little.