s1.
Most ads are cheerful.
Most ads are cheerful, upbeat, pleasant, emphasizing good feelings
that people want to have and the good things that people want to get.
Advertising tends to be a feel-good world of sunshine and smiles,
a land of hopes and dreams.
But, for every human hope and dream, there's also a corresponding
fear and nightmare.
Thus, associations
with these "bad things" -- the reverse, the negative counterparts,
those things already hated or feared by the intended audience -- are sometimes
emphasized in ads, which here will be called scare-and-sell ads.
2.
Scare-and-sell ads emphasize problems, then offer the product as a
solution.
Most of these scare-and-sell
ads are in the categories of prevention
(avoid the "bad"), protection
(keep the "good"), and relief
("get rid of the bad") because they often use a common problem/solution
pattern.
In this pattern, a problem will be stressed, then the
product will be offered as the solution to it. Such ads often show dramatized
scenes of "horror stories" (accidents, tire blowouts, stalls on lonely road,
burglars, fire) followed by the product's claim to prevent or to relieve the
problem.
Often, the "problems" (dirty floors, spotted shirts, bad breath,
split hair-ends) emphasized in ads may seem trivial to us: simply inconveniences
or minor annoyances.
However, this problem/solution pattern ("anxiety
arousal and satisfaction") is commonly used and quite effective
in many consumer ads. Instead of selling hopes and dreams, this kind of scare-and-sell
advertising emphasizes human fears and nightmares. If such appeals are not credible,
or if they are too intense, then people may complain or the ads may be ineffective.
Prevention emphasizes the future, not relief for something
bad which already exists. Prevention ads often serve a very good purpose to
remind people to check our tires, fix our brakes, or take fire precautions.
However, such warnings are often abused by persuaders who know
that they stir up deep emotional feelings of fear and anxiety. Persuaders are
often problem makers.
s3.
Negative words and images could be used in any ad campaign.
Although products sold for relief, prevention, or protection
(such as headache medicines, burglar alarms, auto tires, fire insurance) are more
likely to use this scare-and-sell tactic, this negative approach can be used in
relation to any claim,
whether Product-Centered
Claims or Audience-Centered
Claims. For example:PRODUCT-CENTERED
CLAIMS ----------------- Negative words &
images about the "problem":
Quality --------------------------- inferior, poor, bad, artificial, flimsy, shoddy
Quantity --------------------------inadequate, limited, lacking, skimpy, too few
Beauty ----------------------------ugly, unsightly, disgusting, revolting
Efficiency- -----------------------incompetent, inefficient, unskilled, broken,
lazy
Scarcity ---------------------------common, commonplace, mundane, trivial, run
of the mill
Novelty ---------------------------outdated, old fashioned, worn out, obsolete,
passe
Stability ---------------------------untested, untried, inexperienced, new-fangled,
jerry-built
Reliability -------------------------unreliable, untrustworthy, unpredictable,
erratic
Simplicity -------------------------complicated, complex, hard, difficult, worrisome,
hassle
Utility ------------------------------useless, worthless, limited, impractical
Rapidity ---------------------------sluggish, slow, tedious (or) hasty, rushed,
hurried
Safety ------------------------------unsafe, dangerous, harmful, poisonous, breakable
AUDIENCE-CENTERED
CLAIMS --------------------------Negative words & images about the
"problem":
Food --------------------------------bland, tasteless, disgusting, unappetizing,
bitter,sour
Activity ----------------------------dull, passive, lazy, feeble, inert, lethargic
Surroundings--------------------- scorching, sweltering heat, freezing cold, foul
air, polluted
Sex ----------------------------------undesirable, unattractive, frigid, impotent
Health -------------------------------sick, unhealthy, pain, suffering, dirty,
unclean
Security ----------------------------accident, death, disaster,terror,tragedy,
calamity, loss
Economy --------------------------cheated, overcharged, loss, worthless, being
taken
Religion---------------------------- sinful, blasphemous, profane, sacrilegious,
impious
Science -----------------------------inaccurate, illogical, unsubstantiated, superstitious
Best People -----------------------common, mediocre, second-rate, run of the mill,losers
Most People---------------------- unpopular, unknown, unwanted, disliked
Average People ------------------odd, oddball, strange, snob, arrogant
Neighborhood --------------------stranger, outsider, intruder, newcomer, trespasser
Nation ------------------------------foreigner, alien, illegal, traitor, disloyal
Nature ------------------------------artificial, unnatural, polluted
Intimacy ---------------------------unloved, unwanted, lonely, friendless, rejected
Family------------------------------ irresponsible,uncaring,incommunicative
Groups -----------------------------outsider, outcast, unfriendly, excluded, detached
Esteem -----------------------------insignificant, unknown, overlooked, nobody,
loser
Play--------------------------------- dull, sad, solemn, austere, joyless
Generosity ------------------------stingy, cheap, tightwad, miserly, selfish,
self-centered
Curiosity ---------------------------boring, apathetic, uninterested, shallow,
dull
Creativity --------------------------unimaginative, imitative, untalented, lazy
Success -----------------------------failure, quitter, abandoned, incomplete,
inept
Scare-and-sell
ads stimulate fears with problems, then offer solutions.