Don't be afraid to use fear appeals: An experimental study

The use of fear appeals has become popular because they have been found to increase the interest and persuasiveness of ads. However, fear appeal use in advertising is still not universally accepted. Critics argue that fear appeals are unethical and can ''backfire'' or have unintended negative effects on consumers. In this paper, we execute a field study which examines the perceived ethicality of the use of a strong video fear appeal shown to a potentially sensitive group of consumers. In addition, attitude toward the ad, attitude toward the brand, and purchase intention for the product being promoted were investigated. The results help to blunt ''blanket'' criticism of fear appeals and provide evidence for advertising executives who wish to argue for serious consideration of fear appeal use.