Are young adults fear appeal effectiveness ratings explained by fear arousal, perceived threat and perceived efficacy?

Innovative Marketing

Volumn 6, Issue 1, 2010, Pages 58-65

  Lennon, Ron ^a   Rentfro, Randall ^a  

^a NONE   (United States)

Author keywords

Fear appeal; Fear arousal; Perceived efficacy; Perceived threat

Indexed keywords

EID: 78649501473     PISSN: 18142427     EISSN: 18166326     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Article

References (45)

1. Anderson, R.B. (2000), “Vicarious and persuasive influences on efficacy expectations and intentions to perform breast self-examination”, Public Relations Review, 26, pp. 97-114.
2. Arthur, D. & Quester, P. (2004), “Who’s afraid of that ad? Applying Segmentation to the Protection Motivation Model”, Psychology & Marketing, 21, 9, pp. 671-696.
3. Bandura, A. (1994), “Self-efficacy”, in V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Human Behavior, 4, pp. 71-81, Academic Press, New York.
4. Baron, R. Logan, H. Lilly, J. Inman, M. and Brennan, M. (1994), “Negative emotion and message processing”, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 30, pp. 181-201.
5. Blumberg, S.J. (2000), “Guarding against threatening HIV prevention messages: An information-processing model”, Health Education and Behavior, 27, pp. 78-82.
6. Boster, F.J. and Mongeau, P. (1984), “Fear-arousing persuasive messages”, Communication Yearbook, 8, pp. 330-375.
7. Byrnes, H. (April 7, 2009), “Anti-smoking ad too distressing”, Daily Telegraph p. 002.
8. Cohn, J. (1998), “Don’t just say no – Berkeley research Dr. Joel Brown questions effectiveness of the federal government’s antidrug education program”, San Francisco Bay Guardian, available at: www.cerd.org/press/press03.html (accessed April 10, 2009).
9. de Turck, M.A., Goldhaber, G.M., Richetto, G.M. and Young, M.J. (1992), “Effects of fear-arousing warning messages”, Journal of Products Liability, 14, pp. 217-223.
10. Dijker, A.J., Koomen, W. & Kok, G. (1997), “Interpersonal determinants of fear of people with AIDS: the moderating role of predictable behavior”, Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 19, pp. 61-79.
11. Donovan, R.J. (1991), “Public health advertising: Guidelines for health promotion professionals”, Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 1, pp. 40-45.
12. Eagly, A.H. and Chaiken, S. (1993), The psychology of attitudes, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Fort Worth, TX.
13. Frijda, N. (1986), The Emotions, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England.
14. Girandola, F. (2000), “Fear and persuasion: Review and re-analysis of the literature (1953-1998)”, Année Psychologique, 100, 2, pp. 333-376.
15. Hastings, G.B., Eadie, D.R. and Scott, A.C. (1990), “Two years of AIDS publicity: A review of progress in Scotland. Health Education Research, 5, pp. 17-25.
16. Hastings, G.B. and MacFadyen, L (2002), “The limitations of fear messages”, Tobacco Control, 11, pp. 73-75.
17. Hastings, G.B., Stead, M., and Webb, J. (2004), “Fear appeals in social marketing: Strategic and ethical reasons for concern”, Psychology and Marketing, 21, 11, pp. 961-987.
18. Higbee, K.L. (1969), “Fifteen years of fear arousal: Research on threat appeals, Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 72, pp. 426-444.
19. Ho, R. (1998), “The intention to give up smoking: Disease versus social dimensions”, Journal of Social Psychology, 138, pp. 368-380.
20. Kempf, D.S. and Harmon, S.K. (2006), “Examining the effectiveness of proposed cigarette package warning labels with graphic images among U.S. college students”, Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 10, 2, pp. 77-93.
21. Keller, P.A. (1999), “Converting the unconverted: The effect of inclination and opportunity to discount health-related fear appeals”, Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, pp. 403-415.
22. Kinnick, K., Krugman, D.M., and Cameron, G.T. (1996), “Compassion fatigue: Communication and burnout toward social problems”, Journalism Quarterly, 73, pp. 687-707.
23. Krisher, H., Darley, S., and Darley, J.M. (1973), “Fear provoking recommendations, intentions to take preventive actinos, and actual preventive action”, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 26, pp. 301-308.
24. LaTour, M.S., and Pitts, R.E. (1989), “Using fear appeals for AIDS prevention in college aged population: An analysis of arousal and ad response, Journal of Health Care Marketing, 9, pp. 5-14.
25. MacAskill, S. Will, V., Hughes, K., and Eadie, D. (1993), The Health Education Board for Scotland’s 1992 antismoking initiative, University of Strathclyde, Centre for Social Marketing, Glasgow, Scotland.
26. Millar, M.G. and Miller, K. (1998), “Processing messages about disease detection and health promotion behaviors: The effects of anxiety”, Health Communication, 10, pp. 211-226.
27. Miller, W.R. and Rollnick, S. (1991), Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People to Change Addictive Behavior, Guilford Press, New York.
28. New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (April 30, 2009), personal correspondence with author.
29. O'Keefe, D. (1990), Persuasion: Theory and Research, Sage Publications, Inc., Newbury Park, CA.
30. Quinn, V., Meenaghan, T. and Brannick, T. (1992), “Fear Appeals: Segmentation is the Way to go”, International Journal of Advertising, 11, 4, pp. 355-366.
31. Rogers, R.W. (1983), “Cognitive and physiological processes in fear appeals and attitude change: A revised theory of protection motivation”, In: J.T. Cacioppo & R.E. Petty (Eds.), Social psychophysiology: A sourcebook, pp.153-176, Guilford Press, New York.
32. Rogers, R.W. and Deckner, W.C. (1975), “Effects of Fear Appeals and Physiological arousal upon emotions, attitudes and cigarette smoking”, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 2, pp. 222-230.
33. Roser, C. and Thompson, M. (1995), “Fear appeals and the formation of active publics”, Journal of Communication, 45, pp. 103-112.
34. Rotfeld, H. (1988), “Fear appeals and persuasion: Assumption and errors in advertising research, Current issues and research in Advertising, 11, pp. 21-40.
35. Ruiter, R.A.C., Abraham, C., and Kok, G. (2001), “Scary warnings and rational precautions: A review of the psychology of fear appeals”, Psychology and Health, 16, pp. 613-630.
36. Schapiro, R. and Hutchinson, B. (April 4, 2009) “Australian Anti-smoking commercial draws howls as boy sobs for mommy”, New York Daily News, available at: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2009/04/04/200904-04_australian_antismoking_commercial_draws_-1.html (accessed April 10, 2009)
37. Smith, S.L. (1997), “The effective use of fear appeals in persuasive immunization: An analysis of national immunization intervention messages”, Journal of applied Communication Research, 25, pp. 264-292.
38. Snipes, R.L., LaTour, M.S. and Bliss, S.J. (1999), “A model of the effects of self-efficacy on the perceived ethicality and performance of fear appeals in advertising”, Journal of Business Ethics, 19, pp. 273-292.
39. Stevens, J. (2002), Applied Multivariate statistics for the social sciences (4th ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Co, Mahwah, NJ.
40. Stuteville, J.R. (1970), “Psychic defenses against high fear appeals: A key marketing variable”, Journal of Marketing, 34, pp. 39-45.
41. Uusitalo, O. and Niemela-Nyrhinen, J. (2008), “Exploring message themes in antismoking advertising targeted at teenagers”, Young Consumers, 9, 1, pp. 29-36.
42. Villani, S. (2001), “Impact of media on children and adolescents: A 10-year review of the research”, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 4, pp. 392-401.
43. Witte, K. (1992), “Putting the fear back into fear appeals: The extended parallel process model”, Communication Monographs, 59, pp. 329-349.
44. Witte, K. and Allen, M. (2000), “A Meta-Analysis of Fear Appeals: Implications for Effective Public Health Campaigns”, Health Education and Behavior, 27, 5, pp. 591-615.
45. Witte, K., Berkowitz, J.M., Cameron, K.A. and McKeon, J.K. (1998), “Preventing the spread of genital warts: Using fear appeals to promote self-protective behaviors”, Health Education and Behavior, 25, pp. 571-585.