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How to make advertising more effective: Shock Advertising

Disclaimer: No part of this work can be reproduced or copied by any means without prior consent of the author

Isidoros Yfantopoulos MA Marketing Management

How to make advertising more effective: Shock Advertising

Isidoros Yfantopoulos MA Marketing Management Student ID:

Supervisor: Ali Baig

October 2013

Word Count: 11,952

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Writing the dissertation was a very demanding yet also a creative and challenging project which broadened the horizons of my knowledge on marketing. I owe many thanks to my supervisor Ali Baig for his precious advices and guidance in materializing this dissertation. I am also very thankful to all the Coventry University students for the time they dedicated to participate and help enrich this study. Their answers provided invaluable information and contributed in gaining insights regarding the research topic. Finally I want to dedicate this work to my parents Christos and Dimitra who supported me throughout my whole studies in Coventry University and without their sacrifices and continuous support all this would be an untouchable dream.

30 September 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract

Introduction

Literature Review

Methodology

17

Data Collection

20

Analysis & Discussion

22

Conclusion

31

References

32

Appendix

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ABSTRACT

The main objective of this dissertation is to examine peoples attitudes towards shock advertising and use the information gathered to make advertising more effective. Although nowadays shock advertising is vastly implemented in practice, there has not been any extensive theoretical research about this controversial topic. The results of the questionnaire survey that followed after an extensive search of the existing literature review, showed that it is still unclear if whether a shocking advertisement can effectively promote a product, service or cause; in some occasions it is noticed that the overall shocking impression steals the attention from the promoted product. Despite that, such advertising methods have very deep reach and can easily break into the peoples everyday life if the shocking factor is tested and adjusted many times in order to find the overall balance.

INTRODUCTION
Todays consumers are every day exposed to thousands of non-stop messages, therefore it is a very challenging task in for advertisers to break through and secure the attention of the target audience. To make advertising appeals more distinctive and hence, perhaps more persuasive, advertisers frequently use dramatic emotional ads messages designed to hock the emotions and make the brain itch (Moore and Harris, 1996). Shock advertising -to define it in simple words- is a marketing strategy which has been used vastly in recent years; this strategy proved to be very effective yet also at the same time destroyed many brands public image. Furthermore, nonprofit organizations increased the use of shock appeal in their cause-promotion campaigns, and many of these campaigns were very successful indeed. As shock advertising proved that it could be successful marketing strategy if properly implemented, it was decided for this dissertation to examine the opinions of university students toward shock advertising. Moreover, regarding an obvious increase in use of shocking messages in public health context, it is particularly important to examine whether this type of appeal is effective or not. To examine this random Coventry University students were chosen as a sample for the main reason that several authors such as Vezina and Paul in 1997 and Dahl in 2003 stated that young people are in fact the marketers target market for messages with controversial images. . In order to

examine in-depth shock advertising and gain a better insight, the dissertation is divided in several important parts. To begin with, existing literature review on shock advertising will be performed. However, as shock advertising is a marketing trend that only the last decade showed increase in use there is not much literature that examines deeply and from many aspects this topic, apart from several studies. After the literature review, the methodology chapter will provide detailed explanation of research objectives and questions, research methodology that will be employed and the way the data collection will be performed. Analysis and discussion of the surveys results will be done and last is the conclusion of this dissertation. For this dissertation the Brief guide of how undertake marketing dissertation research from Dunn (2004) was chosen.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Emergence and History of Shock Advertising When it comes to the emergence of shock advertising, most often credits go to Benetton as the company which was the originator of this advertising method during the 1980s (Vezina and Paul, 1997; Dahl et al., 2003). Controversial photographer Oliviero Toscani had been given the complete freedom to promote the company and its products. Under his directions, the images in Benettons advertisements started to become significantly provocative. Benetton Company was justifying the use of such controversial images by stating their concern in raising the social awareness and drawing attention to the social issues and not just to their clothes. Themes such as racism (a black woman who is breast-feeding a white baby), death and disease (a young man dying because of AIDS in front of his family), religion (priest and a nun kissing), war (clothes of a soldier killed in Bosnia), were shown in their advertisements and these kind of disturbing for the audience images were indeed very successful headline-grabbers (Vezina and Paul, 1997). Additionally, some of their advertisements have been awarded for raising public awareness of social issues (Dahl et al., 2003). On the other hand, Benetton faced plenty of criticism for using images of such controversial content in order to send a message of social concern (Evans and

Sumandeep, 1993). Many other companies, following Benettons example, adopted a similar approach in advertising their products or services, especially other clothing and fashion brand names such as French Connection UK, Esprit, Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Loren, etc. (Vezina and Paul, 1997). As it happened in Benettons case, some of these companies advertisements were criticized or even banned from the public. For instance, French Connection was involved in a long-running battle with the regulator over the use of its F.C.U.K. tagline and other foulmouthed slogans in print and poster ads (Benady, 2003, p.24). Another company often referred for the usage of provocative and extreme images is Calvin Klein, whose advertisements are typically of a sexual nature and they were often targeted by governments and a variety of political groups for deliberate use of pornographic images (Dahl et al., 2003). For the aforementioned reasons, the company publicly apologized after a campaign that was publicly accused for using child pornography (Waller and Polonsky, 1996). Although shock advertising at first was developed by commercial organizations, nonprofit organizations (such as charities and human rights organizations) soon adopted this approach (Fill, 2006). Childrens charities, anti-cruel campaigners, drug abuse campaigns, human rights campaigners, road safety campaigners, disaster funds and even housing charities are turning to more explicit images to explain their causes and shock the public into a response or to supply funds (Wilson and West, 1995, p.40). For example, Barnardos, one of the United Kingdoms largest charity organizations, used controversial images for charitable purposes. Often discussed example, both academic and non-academic, is Barnardos shocking advertisement of a baby preparing to inject heroin sitting in a dirty street. Not only this one, but also many other Barnardos shocking advertisements have 'cut through' the daily media clutter and caused extensive public protest and discussion (Ash, 2005, p.507). Barnardos is just only one example out of the many non-profit companies that are known for using controversial images to draw publics attention and raise awareness to the issues that are of public concern. At this point it is essential to highlight the fact which has been stated by numerous authors that societys standards and expectations do change over time and what was seen as offensive fifty years ago may not necessarily be considered as offensive today (Shimp, 2007; Croft, 2002; Pollay, 1986). Shannon (1995) stated the very

characteristic example of Saatchi & Saatchis pregnant man campaign which was considered as deeply shocking during the 1970s, while today very few people would find such advertisement shocking and unacceptable. Pope et al. (2004) suggested that social attitudes toward nudity have been changed over time. Additionally, it should be noted that this change in peoples norms and altered level of advertisements acceptability did not occur because advertisers were bolder in their communication, but because the increased use of provocative, disgusting and offensive images was noticeable in all forms of mass media presentations (Shimp, 2007). Similarly, Pollay (1986) stated that standards of public decency have changed much in the twentieth century, and advertising has been one of the elements contributing to the changed norms

Shock Advertising Now Nowadays because of the constant exposure of people to out of the normal violating material, we are in a point where advertisers have to make a decision; keep trying to shock their main target audience or abandon this method. Shock advertising literally forces someone to read and process a message; the advertisement surprises them with pictures that are usually not accepted by society. Shocking advertisements are filled with pictures and ideas that are far from the normal, usually ringing the alarm amongst those who see them. Therefore using shocking methods in order to assure someones attention crosses the line between what people find to be normal and productive or shocking and offensive (Arnold, 2009). Although shock advertising is very successful in capturing ones attention along with informing the public of products, services or a variety of social issues, it is a tactic that is incredibly controversial to use yet also often proves very risky. With every shock advertising campaign is raised a wave of critics who often speak out even in public against those who are involved. They also characterize the ads to be too vulgar, disgusting, or obscene to be shown to the public and dont feel as though bombarding people with shock is a productive way to make a positive impact (Arnold, 2009).

An anti-smoking campaign in France proved to be too controversial; many people found this campaign unacceptable and that the company implied sexual abuse through it. The young people in the picture were in compromising positions. The advertising agency that created the ad campaign mentioned and pictured above, totally defended their campaign and they said the campaign was made to trigger the teens to imagine smoking to be an act of naivety and submission, to smoke is to be a slave to tobacco and that the critics found the analogy misguided. As stated previously, the unexpected factor is the main difference between normal and shocking advertisement. For example Tom Ford clothing company is often showing extreme nudity in their ad campaigns, European commission uses a range of hard hitting anti-smoking images similar to the NHS anti-smoking campaign get unhooked. M. Williams in an article about shock advertisement in 2009 states that shock advertisements work because the message they are conveying is imprinted in persons consciousness so deeply that he is eventually forced to act upon it. Furthermore he adds that shock advertisements are successful because the advertiser has found the weakest nerve of his viewers, and that is their emotions and fear. Shocking advertising was the main yet revolutionary and contemporary advertising idea during the eighties and nineties, therefore nowadays we have a society that has seen a lot of similar campaigns, consequently the effect that such campaigns have on population is starting to get less and less by time. Todays young generations have grown up with bloodshed, violent, sexual, and obscene material usually displayed in movies, music, television, and the Internet. Therefore its hard to shock such an audience because they have been exposed to shocking advertisements and messages for minimum the past ten years. Agencies in the past have implemented shocking scenarios in their campaigns, resulting in the public believing that what theyre doing isnt that bad at all (Williams, 2009). Chenecey (2000) added to this by saying that with more and more conscious customers and the bombarding of people with a wide range of information daily, advertising agencies are facing constantly increasing difficulties in reaching the customer effectively, so they are using shock advertisements to pierce through this mind shield.

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So, the use of threatening and shocking messages has been implemented a lot in advertising campaigns. Supporters of shock advertisements state that advertising is now being used in a more effective manner than in previous years. Olivero Toscani who is the man behind Benettons clothing company notorious and the subject of much argument shock advertising campaigns said I'm using advertising to raise better and more interesting issue. I'm actually exploiting advertising. Shock advertisements are alarming because they paint the real picture of what is happening in the world, in front of its viewers (Williams 2009). Like Benetton campaign featuring the buttocks of an AIDS patient stamped with the words "HIV positive" or the campaign again racism that depicts real human hearts. Shock advertisements alarm people and may create a sense of discomfort in them. But some small discomfort is worth if it is creating a positive impact because they can convey the desired message, and are a form of publicity even if it is through shock tactics. Any publicity is good publicity Phineas Taylor Barnum For some shock advertisement is good as long as it is profitable. Myers (2004) described three basic factors that are important in order for an advertisement to be effective; message content, communicator and audience involvement. Are shock advertisements effective, according to these factors? Shock advertisements are attention grabbing Whether Benettons unpleasant images or the provocative play on FCUK, shock tactics will always win column inches (Colyer 2002). Additionally, Matt Williams (2009) shares this view; shocking ads are the effective way to capture ones attention adding that a shocking campaign must be easy to understand in order to effective. For some others, shock advertisements are disturbing and scary. Advertising Standards Authority of United Kingdom in 2007 received 24,192 complaints against advertisements (Whiteside 2008). NHSs get unhooked advertising campaign was reported offensive, frightening, scary and distressing for children, it got highest number of complains in 2007 (Whiteside 2008; Clarke 2008). Therefore advertisers must pay attention in order to create a certain level of fear in shocking advertisements. In this point Matt Williams (2009) adds that if the same message and tactic is being used by an advertiser again and again, it becomes easier to ignore it. Now people have learned to ignore shock advertisements, if it is shocking they look away, turn the page or change the channel.

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Furthermore Black (2004) relates shocking advertising campaigns with drugs; like drugs you have to increase the dose each time to get noticed by the viewers. e. At first the advertisement creates a positive reaction towards the product, service or the issue of social concern, but through the never ending passage of time and the constantly increasing frequency of viewing, the advertisement loses its power subsequently the advertiser has to produce more and more explicit material every time he wants to start a new campaign. Shocking advertising is not suitable for everybody; shocking ad campaigns are far more effective yet popular amongst younger audiences than audiences of older age. People that belong to the older generations are of higher potential to be strongly offended by shocking advertisement campaigns that include vulgar, explicit and obscene material. This in return can potentially derive more harm to the company rather than create positive attitude. The people who feel offended by such adverts are more likely not to support a cause or purchase a good from a brand using shocking advertising tactics. On the other hand, the younger generation such as teens and young adults has a much more positive reaction to shocking advertising and is not as strongly offended as their older counterparts by such material that is often vulgar, sexual, or profane. The shocking advertising campaigns often create curiosity in this group of consumers, and can often be a good tactic to be implemented in order to raise awareness among them. On the psychological aspect of shocking advertising, advertisers, psychiatrists, and social scientists have long debated the effectiveness of this promoting method. Scientists argue to whether or not shocking ad campaigns evoke stronger feelings among the audience hence potential consumers. Findings explain that shocking content in an advertisement significantly increases attention, benefits memory, and positively influences behavior. (Dahl, 2003) The same study also highlights that consumers are more prone to remember shocking advertising content over advertising content that is not shocking. In this point we have to consider the concept of selective perception: It is the process by which individuals perceive what they want to in media messages while ignoring opposing viewpoints. It is a broad term to identify the behavior all people exhibit to tend to see things based on their particular frame of reference. It

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also describes how we categorize and interpret sensory information in a way that favors one category or interpretation over another (E. Pronin, 2007). In other words selective perception is a process through which we interpret information in a way that is congruent with our existing values and beliefs. Psychologists believe this process occurs automatically, therefore this means that people focus in certain stimuli of their environment and exclude some others. To add to this, we should also refer to the emotions created by the shocking advertising campaigns and their role in the success or failure of a campaign. A correct understanding of the role emotion plays in communication is essential in order for us to be able to understand advertising effectiveness, because emotion is an important part of the way brain process the messages it receives. There are at least two areas where we need to pay particular attention. First, we must be careful not to confuse the concept of emotion with positive effect. Emotion, even negative emotion, triggers processing, especially in the memory area of the brain. And as Rossiter and Percy (1991) have pointed out: It is not necessary to like and approve all advertising for them to be effective. Emotion should and does operate in the processing of all advertising, even cognitiveoriented advertising. Because something is emotionally arousing does not mean it must be an effectively-oriented advert, at least not in terms of the effect-cognition distinction generally made. (Rossiter &Percy 1991) Emotional stimuli therefore is included in shocking advertising campaigns in order to serve an underlying purchase or a product or service or usage motivation, where motivation is defined as the mechanism that triggers behavioural reactions. It is this emotional energy that affects brand attitude communication effects. Taking all the above into account a simple definition of shock advertising could be given; first of all it is the use of controversial images that are violating personal and/or societal norms and therefore, grabbing and keeping the audiences attention. Additionally, the use of shock appeal is mostly used by advertisers with a conscious purpose to surprise and shock the target audience with the aim of grab their attention. Finally, shock advertising is constantly getting free-of-charge media attention and

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publicity through press coverage and word-of-mouth communication, and consequently it is grabbing even more than initially planned attention. Elements of Shock Advertising According to Vezina and Paul (1997) we can define three main elements of shock advertising; ambiguity and distinctiveness and violation of societal norms and taboos. Furthermore they added that if an advertisement is to be defined as provocative it is of high importance and crucial for the success of a campaign which will use this advertisement that all the three characteristics above will be embodied in it. Ambiguity Vezina and Paul (1997) defined it as the extent to which the ad leaves room for various interpretations, if not of its content, at least of the intentions of the advertiser. Furthermore, according to these authors, messages that are ambiguous are more likely to be deeply processed by the audience. The people in the audience will try to determine what the advertisement is trying to say; a process which proves to be of great benefit, primarily to attract and afterwards to keep the attention of the target audience and trigger feelings, interactions, comments and engagement. Distinctiveness It is of high importance for an advertisement to be perceived as different and distinctive from others in order to attract attention and trigger reactions. According to Vezina and Paul (1997) this is the first and basic condition for an advertisement to cause reactions. However, if an advertisement is considered by the audience as similar to others, it will lose the provocative power it possesses. Additionally, Childers and Houston (1984) found that distinct advertisements in fact attracted more attention, and are easier for the audience to memorize and retrieve. Similarly, Dahl et al. (2003) found with a survey he conducted with his team that advertisements with shocking content had a significant impact on the attention, memory, and even on the everyday behaviour of university students. Violation of societal norms and taboos Finally, violation of societal norms and taboos seems to be the element of highest importance for an advertisement to be defined as provocative. With the

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implementation of only distinctiveness and ambiguity, advertisements are not capable to cause shock. By violating norms and taboos either personal or/and societal, advertisement causes surprise that is responsible for further processing of the ad (Dahl et al., 2003).

Types of Appeal Used in Shock Advertising As noted earlier, in literature that was dealing with what can be called in one name provocative advertising, much of the issues were more related to controversial/offensive products and less to the creative execution of the advertisement. Therefore, it is particularly hard to provide more insights in types of shock appeals that are used in advertising. Therefore, it could be stated that enormous contribution of Dahl et al.s (2003) work was that it provided classification of shock appeals. According to these authors, there are seven types of shock appeals: disgusting images, sexual references, profanity/obscenity, vulgarity, impropriety, moral offensiveness and religious taboos. In an extensive literature research, Christy (2006), who was examining offensiveness in advertising, found four dimensions of offensive advertising: advertised product, medium, audience demography and execution of the advertisement. When it comes to the creative execution (which is particular point of interest in this dissertation), the author found in literature several elements in advertising that could offend its audience: anti-social behaviour, derogatory depictions, expletive language, fear appeals, personal subject matter, religious references, sexual appeals / nudity and violence. Furthermore, Prendergast et al. (2002) in their study of a Hong Kong view of offensive advertising were examining which of the following factors has the most probability to offend its audience: sexual connotations, fear appeals, sexist, cultural insensitivity, indecent language, too personal and nudity. Similarly, Phau and Prendergast (2001) found that use of sex followed by personal subject matter and fear appeals are most offensive executional styles when it comes to Singapore respondents point of view. Similarly, Waller (1999) who examined attitudes toward offensive advertising in Australia found that respondents were most offended by advertisements for the following reasons: racist, anti-social behaviour, sexist, too personal, indecent language and nudity (p.292). Finally, it should be noted once again that not all offensive advertising has to

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be perceived as shocking, yet, most of the appeals that these authors found to be offensive appear in Dahl et al.s (2003) classification of shock appeals. Therefore, it could be stated that many of the elements that cause shock and offensiveness (stated by different authors) are in fact the same/similar. How Shock Advertising Works In order to better understand how does shock advertising work, Dahl et al. (2003, p.271) developed a Preliminary Model of Consumer Reactions to Shock Appeals According to this model, exposure to the advertisement is certainly prerequisite for an advertisement to be noticed. However, after exposure, not all of the advertisements actually get attention of their target audience.Nonetheless, it is found that use of provocative, controversial and/or offensive images in the advertisements actually secures an audiences attention (Dahl et al., 2003; Vezina and Paul, 1997; Fam and Waller, 2003), Prendergast and Haw, 2003; Waller, 1999, etc.). In their preliminary model, Dahl et al. (2003) stated that norm violation is in fact responsible not solely for attracting attention, but moreover, for further processing of the advertisement. Namely, it is the norm violation aspect of the shock appeal that is assumed to underlie its ability to break through advertising clutter and capture the attention of a target audience who then listens and acts on the related message (Dahl et al., 2003, p.269). If advertising message breaches the norms for decency, good taste, aesthetic propriety, and/or personal moral standards it will cause a surprise to the perceiver of the message (Dahl et al., 2003). In other words, violating any social or personal norm will elicit a surprise, which will consequently encourage additional cognitive activity as individuals seek to understand the source of their surprise (Dahl et al., 2003, p.271). According to expectancy-disconfirmation model, people tend to form expectations and the outcome can be equal, greater or lesser than their expectations (Phillips and Baumgartner, 2002). As norm violation causes unexpectedness, further cognitive processing is encouraged. This usually takes form of cognitive engagement and message elaboration in order that the message be understood (Fill, 2006). Therefore, Dahl et al. (2003) argued that norm violation causes surprise which in turn affects attention, comprehension, elaboration and retention of the advertisement, and finally behaviour of message recipients. However, it should be highlighted that these authors stated this process was described through preliminary model, and as noted by the authors, effects of cognitive processing on behaviour are weaker and not well

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documented, unlike the effects of provocative advertising on audiences attention in the first place. The positive effects of provocative advertising on attention are well documented, both through the theory and research (e.g. Dahl et al., 2003; Vezina and Paul, 1997; Fam and Waller (2003), Prendergast and Haw, 2003; Waller, 1999, Bello et al., 1983; etc.). Moreover, Dahl et al. (2003) found that beyond increased attention, shocking content in advertisements significantly increases recall and recognition of the advertisements. In addition, one of the main contributions of Dahl et al.s (2003) research is that they found that participants were actually likely to engage in messagerelevant behaviour. Moreover, it is particularly important to highlight that these authors were not researching behaviour intents, but rather actual behaviour of the participants in the study. Effectiveness of Shock Advertising It is apparent that shock advertising is a widely used technique in marketing practice. Therefore, as shock appeals are used quite often in practice, one could say that its effectiveness should not be questioned. However, as much as it can be successive to a great extent, on the other hand, it is followed by a great risk of profit and/or image loses of the brand/company. For this reason, it is of highest importance to examine all the elements that will influence effectiveness of shock advertising. It has been already discussed in previous chapters of the dissertation that using shock appeals is effective when it comes to attracting the attention of the target audience. However, there is a question of long-term impact of shock tactics in advertising, and whether all publicity is indeed good publicity (Crosier and Erdogan, 2001). Furthermore, it is important to question whether use of positive appeals in advertising is more effective strategy (de Pelsmacker and Van den Burgh, 1998). When it comes to the effectiveness of this strategy, Dahl et al. (2003) conducted two experiments to examine the effectiveness of shock advertising public service message context. The first study involved three print advertisements for the public service advertisement of safe sex and the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Print advertisements were containing fear, shock and information appeals. The study confirmed that norm violation is the key to heightened awareness of shocking advertising content (Dahl et al., 2003, p. 275). Furthermore, results of the study showed that shock appeal was

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superior to fear and information appeal when it comes to attention, recall and recognition of the advertisements. The evidence from the initial study supports contention that shocking advertising content is superior to non-shocking content in its ability to attract attention and facilitate memory for the advertisement (Dahl et al., 2003, p. 276). Similarly, Bello et al. (1983) examined effectiveness of controversial sexual advertisements by three dimensions: interest in commercial, attitude toward product, and purchase intent. These authors concluded that controversial sexual content in the advertisement was solely effective in making advertisement more interesting. Therefore, unlike Dahl et al. (2003) who came to the conclusion that shock appeals used in the advertisements had positive effects beyond initial attention and that it was effective at encouraging subjects to remember advertising information and to engage in message-relevant behaviours ,(Bello et al. 1983) concluded that beyond perceiving as more interesting, controversial sexual advertisements were not effective by any other criteria except increased interest in advertisement (but not the purchase intention, however). Similarly to Bello et al.s (1983) findings, Prendergast et al. (2002) found that Singaporean respondents were generally unlikely to buy products from the company using an offensive advertisement if given a similar alternative from a non-offending company. Likewise, Vezina and Paul (1997) expressed the concern that although provocative appeals in advertising do attract audiences attention, they may affect the attitude toward the brand in negative manner. Attempts to shock consumers may generate a high level of awareness, but may also result in a low level of acceptance or even a high level of disapproval (p.178). However, in their research, these authors could not make any conclusions whether provocative appeals in advertising actually have influence on the actual behaviour of target audience and called for further research. On the other hand, Bello et al. (1983) represented findings of the Walsh and Millers study who found that majority of respondents stated they would avoid purchasing any product whose advertisements or programs appear to be offensive or in bad taste. Therefore, according to the findings of different studies presented in previous paragraphs, it is not clear whether shock appeals in advertising have influence on behaviour intentions and actual behaviour of the target audience. However, it should be noted that researches presented in previous paragraphs examined provocative advertising in different sectors (profit and non-profit) and that

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advertisements in the studies were not using completely same types of appeals. For instance, sexual appeals in advertisements were used in Bello et al.s (1983) research, while Dahl et al.s (2003) research examined various types of shock appeals. Likewise, it should be noted that not all sexual advertisements have necessarily to be perceived as shocking. Similarly, Prendergast et al. (2002) were examining attitudes toward offensive advertising, and it was already noted previously that offensive advertisements do not necessarily have to shock its audience. In addition, offensive advertisements examined in their study were found to be offensive both to the nature of the product advertised and to the creative execution of the ad, unlike shocking advertisements used in Dahl et al.s (2003) research. Influence of Negative Emotions triggered by Shocking Advertising Methods One of the widely used appeals in advertising that is provoking a negative emotion is fear appeal. Although fear and shock may be different appeals, some advertising with intention to frighten the audience may be perceived as shocking (Ang and Low, 2000). For instance, it can be stated that stronger fear appeals are more shocking by its nature. When examining the use of fear appeals in advertising, LaTour et al. (1996) came to the conclusion that stronger fear appeals are more effective than mild fear appeals when it comes to the intention of target audience to make a purchase. However, it should be noted once again that fear and shock tactics are in fact different; although this point is quoted here with an intention to show that stronger negative emotional appeals may be more effective in influencing subjects attitudes and/or behaviour. Similarly, by examining 524 television commercials and attitudes toward irritation of advertisements, Aaker and Bruzzone (1985) came to the conclusion that irritating advertisements can be more effective than neutral ones, although less effective than well-liked advertisements. However, this should be taken cautiously since irritating advertisements in this study were not solely the ones with shocking nature, but most of them are regarded to socially undesirable products. Furthermore, not all shocking advertisements may be perceived as irritating, although there might be a connection between irritation and shock. Moreover, Aaker and Bruzzone (1985) found that irritating advertisements can still be effective. Similarly, De Pelsmacker and Van den Burgh (1998) stated that it is better to evoke a negative feeling than no feeling at all. Finally, it should be noted that findings of these studies are presented in this paragraph as both fear and irritation provoke negative emotions

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so as shock appeals. Since there has not been extensive academic research when it comes to advertising with shocking content, it was important to examine the results from the studies that dealt with similar content and negative emotions provoked. Ethical Considerations in Shock Advertising It can be stated that the first principle in the beginning of any marketing communication is ethical principle. Furthermore, when it comes to shock advertising, ethical issues are particularly important, especially having in mind the fact that most often advertisers are deliberately shocking the audience. In order to succeed in this, they violate personal and societal norms and break taboos, which is in oppose with ethical principles. Moreover, matters of taste and decency (Pickton and Broderick, 2005) are of particular interest when it comes to ethical considerations in shock advertising. Similarly, Day (2007) stated that there is a consensus among researchers that offensive ad contents breach norms for decency, good taste, aesthetic propriety, and/or personal moral standards - and, implicitly, an assumption that such breaches occur by intention. Furthermore, Howell (2002) reminded to cornerstone of advertising ethics and that the importance for advertising agencies is to ensure their campaigns to be legal, honest, decent and truthful. Decent is always going to be the hardest to judge (Howell, 2000). Shooshtari (2007) noted that there are different opinions of use of shock advertising between practitioners and academics. While the academy tends to infer a lack of social responsibility from the use of controversial ad campaigns, in contrast, advertising practitioners prefer treating such ad campaigns as expressions of creativity and originality (Shooshtari, 2007). Another important ethical issue in shock advertising is related to cultural context in which advertisement with provocative images are released. As noted previously, it is apparent that provocative advertisement may be usual in one culture, while in another it may prove to be extremely offensive. Fam and Waller (2003) stated that it is of high importance to be cautious when deciding which provocative images will be included in provocative campaign, and special care should be taken when entering new markets with strong cultural sensitivities. Further ethical considerations in shock advertising are related to the use of these appeals in two different types of organizations: non-profit and commercial (de Chenecey, 2000). Recently, there is an increasing tendency for non-

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profit companies to use shock tactics (West and Sargeant, 2004). Findings from several researches indicate that respondents show more understanding towards usage of shocking advertising when it is used for good causes (e.g. public health campaigns, charities, etc.) (Gray, in West and Sargeant, 2004; Rotfeld et al., 1996; Pope et al., 2004; Hafstad et al., 1997; Dahl et al., 2003). For instance, Pope et al. (2004) who investigated reactions of respondents to a provocative appeal for a cause as opposed to the same appeal used by commercial organizations, found that organizations that are using provocative images for a cause are looked morepreferably by majority of the respondents. Similarly, Dahl et al. (2003) conducted their research in public health context as it seemed that shock tactics can be judged to be appropriate in these types of advertising situations (p.278). Likewise, Shimp (2007) represented the example of advertisements against drinking and stated that they were deliberately hard-hitting, for reasons that most would accept as justifiable (p.64). For instance, the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) rejected public complaints for Barnardos shocking advertisement as the ad was designed to demonstrate in a powerful way the potential future that could await a small child" (de Chenecey, 2000). On the other hand, although through most of the literature use of shock images in nonprofit sector is justifiable, as it is for good cause, not everybody would agree with this statement. Namely, it is believed that even if the messages are advocating a good cause, it does not give them a license to create any sort of distressing or horrific image (Wilson and West, 1995, p.40). As opinions differ for non-profit sector, it is a general opinion that use of shock advertising by commercial organizations is ethically inappropriate. Although in most of Benettons advertisements messages regarding important social issues were communicated, it is believed that company solely wanted to attract attention (Gustafson and Yssel, 1994) and that mostly it did not offer solution to any of the featured problems (Tomblin, 2002). For all the above given reasons, it is of highest importance for advertisers to use shock images in their messages responsibly (Dahl et al., 2003; Shannon, 1995) and to thoroughly consider all elements such as strength of shock appeal, target audience, mass medium and culture when using such appeals. In the end, it seems appropriate to illustrate previous statement by quoting Thacker (1993): To create advertising that shocks without being offensive requires real talent; to produce ads that stretch the limits without going beyond good taste - that is the true test of an agency's creativity.

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METHODOLOGY
The aim of this research project is to understand how shocking advertising works and what improvisations can we make in order to make advertising more effective in order to increase the audience responses, maximize the awareness raised towards our target so as to be successful in the marketing goals a business will set and understand how such advertising methods will change the market in the next years to come. As mentioned before in the literature review the area of shocking advertising is very broad and theoretical therefore we acknowledge that our research questions are of a broad nature and might gather data that will require a further and more in-depth analysis that will be of theoretical nature. Another basic aim is to structure this research in such a way that we can continue the previous studies done by various academics and scientists, and attempt to fill in the gap of knowledge on the subject yet also provide the base for further research in the future so as to fully understand how to properly implement shocking advertising for our marketing campaigns. It is obvious that this research will aim to measure the emotions triggered by some specific advertising methods therefore such attributes will be very general and difficult to measure in numbers. The main intention is to identify the key factors that make shocking advertising campaign successful yet also we want to be as much realistic as possible along with making our objective achievable therefore we tailored the research questions in order to fit the researchers needs. Research Question 1: Why are consumers attracted by shocking advertising? Research Question 2: Which factors make a shocking ad campaign effective? Research Question 3: Where are the limits for emotional arousal? Research Objectives: Undoubtedly, academic and practitioners literature often proved effectiveness of this type of communication strategy, not solely in terms of generating attention, but influencing the attitudes and behaviour of the message recipients as well. However, having in mind that UK population consists at a high percentage of some cultures that are to a great extent conservative when it comes to various taboos, there is a question whether this type of communication strategy would be equally effective when it

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comes to influence on audiences attitudes and behaviour. It has been already discussed that different cultures may react differently on various shock advertisements. Finally, it should be stated that as there is no extensive academic research when it comes to shock advertising (Dahl et al., 2003), it is of particular interest to examine attitudes toward this type of communication strategy in a multicultural country such as UK. Therefore, it can be stated that the main objective of this dissertation is to examine attitudes toward shock advertising and how can we use these to make advertising more effective. Research Method: Quantitative Quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of social phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques (Given, Lisa, 2008). The main objective of quantitative research is ideal to use so as to develop and employ theories and/or hypotheses. Furthermore quantitative research provides fundamental connection between empirical observation and proven facts. In other words, this means that the researcher asks a specific, narrow question and collects data from a specific range of answers provided to the participants who answer the question. The researcher analyzes the data and the analysis result will yield an unbiased result that can be generalized to some larger population. Qualitative research, on the other hand, asks generalized questions and collects non-specificied data from participants. Additionally qualitative methods collect information that can be applied and used only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses. Quantitative methods can be used to verify which of such hypotheses are true and for these reasons it was decided that qualitative methods will be excluded from the survey. Due to the nature of the research a quantitative research method approach will be adopted. We will use such an approach in order to answer a range of questions that can help us further understand human reactions and limitations to shocking advertising (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). The quantitative method ensures us that the results will be of high reliability and relevance in all aspects therefore with the quantitative data gathered we will have a truly in-depth view of what the audience thinks about shocking advertising. Our aim is to questionnaires in order to get more trustworthy information and data. We chose questionnaire survey over sampling and experimenting because in experimenting some participants may be affected by the others and therefore change opinion and

23

provide us with faulty data. Additionally questionnaires are more personal and therefore more appropriate for our research. The method decided involved selecting participants randomly in the Coventry University area such as The Hub and Lanchester Library. The participants were Coventry University Students. They were given questionnaires to choose their preferred answer from a list of answers and it took them about 12-14 minutes each. The number of interviewed people was decided to be no more than 25 and no less than 20 depending on the varsity of answers we get. They also were over 18 which is the minimum age at which someone can be legally adult for most purposes. Also the time the participants were asked to participate in the survey was decided to be after 12:00 am and before 14:00 pm for the main reason that the participants were University Students and it is commonly known that students tend to stay up at night till late and subsequently wake up late. The time was selected so as the majority of participants would have already woken up some hours ago and provide answers with clear mind rather than having just woken up and try to answer quickly so as to avoid the hassle and keep on for their responsibilities. This might be considered a bit unorthodox but empirically it works. During the survey all the participants were showed printed shocking advertising material and afterwards they were asked to reply to the questionnaires provided (see Appendix 9) Selection of the Advertisements As noted earlier, the print advertisements that will be showed to the participants were chosen based on Dahls table of types of shock appeals (see Appendix 1). Overall seven advertisements were shown to the participants. Each one of the seven advertisements is a representative of each group of shock appeals shown on the Dahls table (see Appendix 1).

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DATA COLLECTION
Before starting the interview, participants were asked if they freely agree to participate the research and asked to sign the consent form. As it is particularly important to protect the identity and privacy of the respondents the participants have been told that their identity will be protected and their names will not be mentioned. By this, confidentiality is ensured. Finally, since some sensitive issues are to be discussed during the interview, participants have been told that they do not have to give answer to any question if felt uncomfortable, they can stop at any time they want and withdraw from the survey. After ensuring that ethical issues are covered for the research process, the survey took place. Advertisement 1 First advertisement (see Appendix 2) is representative of the first group of types of shock appeals defined by Dahl. The advertisement is printed on flyers that were placed on the windshields of the cars parked near schools. In the ad, is depicted an explicit image of a girl with a smashed face full of blood on broken windshield of a car. The driver has an image as his/her car hit and killed a little girl. This advertisement is an example of the advertisement from the first group of shock appeals which is disgusting images as it explicitly refers to death and blood. Advertisement 2 Second advertisement (see Appendix 3) is from the non-profit sector and it promotes the importance of prevention from HIV/AIDS. It shows rather explicit scene of oral sex, however unexpectedly the girl is holding a gun near her mouth. Text of the advertisement is: Only 0,003 mm of latex lies between life and death. The advertisement primarily refers to implied sexual act and nudity and is chosen as representative of second group of shock appeals sexual references- as it implies sexual acts Advertisement 3 Another anti-AIDS advertisement (see Appendix 4) shows an illustration of middle finger with a condom on it followed by a text FUCK AIDS. The colors and lines in the ad are quite aggressive, and followed by a tagline give an impression of rebellion

25

and defiance. It is representative of the third group of shock appeals profanity /obscenity- as it contains swear words and obscene gestures. Advertisement 4 This advertisement (see Appendix 5) fights against smoking primarily in restaurants, and in general. In the ad, there is an illustration of the man urinating in a swimming pool, followed by a text: A non-smoking section in a restaurant is like a nonurinating section in a swimming pool. This advertisement is a representative of the fourth group of shock appeals Vulgarity, as it explicitly shows distasteful act urinating- in a swimming pool. Advertisement 5 Fifth group of shock appeals according to Dahl et al. (2003) refers impropriety through violations of social conventions for dress, manners, etc. Dolce & Gabbana ad (see Appendix 6) shows a girl in rather inappropriate position surrounded by four men. The ad implicitly shows a scene of group sex, and for this reason is placed under Impropriety group of shock appeals. Advertisement 6 Sixth advertisement (see Appendix 7) shows a newborn baby with a injection of heroin in its mouth. Baby is covered with body secretion typical for newborn babies, however in combination with injection, the image is considered by many quite disgusting. This ad is representative of sixth group of shock appeals Moral Offensiveness and for this reason there were many debates about Barnardos advertising strategy for publishing image showing a child in provocative situation. Advertisement 7 As seventh advertisement (see Appendix 8) use religious symbols inappropriately, it is placed in the seventh group of shock appeals; Religious Taboos. The ad shows a nun with a clip on her nose and refers to her consciousness of not being able to resist to men who use Axe deodorant. The questionnaire used is provided in the Appendix (see Appendix 9)

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ANALYSIS & DISCUSSION

The results from the questionnaires are presented below statistically and explained individually so as to better understand how to interpret each result. The total number of the participants is 20, the average age of the participants is 22.25 and the number of male participants is 11 with the number of female participants being 9 (see Appendix 10).

Statistical results of numerical ratings in a scale from 1 to 10 on the question the advertisements cause fear 50% (10 participants) rated the advertisements 3 in a scale to 10 25% (5 participants) rated the advertisements 5 in a scale to 10 15% (3 participants) rated the advertisements 7 in a scale to 10 5% (1 participant) rated the advertisement 2 in a scale to 10 5% (1 participant) rated the advertisement 9 in a scale to 10

The results above show that half of the participants felt low scale feelings of results, while a quarter of them felt the level of fearful feelings evoked were just average. This shows that this type of advertisements in general cause low to medium levels of fear allowing marketers to use shock advertising tactics without being afraid that they will cause fearful emotions in the overall audience

Statistical results of numerical ratings in a scale from 1 to 10 on the question the advertisements are controversial 50% (10 participants) rated the advertisements 8 in a scale to 10 25% (5 participants) rated the advertisements 7 in a scale to 10 15% (3 participants) rated the advertisements 5 in a scale to 10 10% (2 participants) rated the advertisements 3 in a scale to 10

The results above depict that a very significant percentage of the participants, 90% in total, rated the controversy depicted in the advertisements above average with half of

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the participants rating them at the third highest level level eight. This shows that almost all the participants understand that the content of these advertisements is controversial and therefore marketers can use advertising campaigns with shocking content to trigger conversations and attract interest.

Statistical results of numerical ratings in a scale from 1 to 10 on the question the advertisements are disturbing 40% (8 participants) rated the advertisements 5 in a scale to 10 40% (8 participants) rated the advertisements 4 in a scale to 10 20% (4 participants) rated the advertisements 7 in a scale to 10

The results shown above that in general the public in a percentage of around 80%does not feel seriously disturbed by the content of such campaigns. However a small yet significant percentage can feel disturbed enough and therefore might avoid these advertisements. Marketers therefore should choose carefully, test and adjust any potential shock campaign so as to find the balance in disturbing feelings because the 20% percentage of audience might also be thought leaders or key influencers of the public opinion.

Statistical results of numerical ratings in a scale from 1 to 10 on the question the advertisements are shocking 60% (12 participants) rated the advertisements 6 in a scale to 10 20% (4 participants) rated the advertisements 8 in a scale to 10 20% (4 participants) rated the advertisements 3 in a scale to 10

The results in this questionnaire section are of big importance because 80% of the participants found the content to be actually shocking with one third of them rating it highly shocking. On the other hand only 20% of the participants answered that they find it of low shocking levels. Marketers should implements shocking content as depicted in the campaigns used in this survey because results show that the shock levels are significantly high, and as stated earlier in this study, when the shocking

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factor is big it is more likely that the audience will actually engage with the advertisement. The campaign will have big reach and it will be effective in its primary target which is no other than capture the attention of audience by causing shock feelings.

Statistical results of numerical ratings in a scale from 1 to 10 on the question the advertisements are offensive 50% (10 participants) rated the advertisements 4 in a scale to 10 25% (5 participants) rated the advertisements 5 in a scale to 10 25% (5 participants) rated the advertisements 8 in a scale to 10

The percentages gathered in this questionnaire section are to be considered of high importance because half of the participants found the content mildly offensive while one quarter of them were seriously offended by the content depicted in the advertisements. This is essential to be considered as a warning to marketers as they must be carefully not to over-offend the ethics, morals and beliefs of the audience because high offense levels have the tendency to bring in negative results rather than actually promote the product, service or cause advertised.

Statistical results of numerical ratings in a scale from 1 to 10 on the question the advertisements are disgusting 40% (8 participants) rated the advertisements 3 in a scale to 10 35% (7 participants) rated the advertisements 5 in a scale to 10 25% (5 participants) rated the advertisements 6 in a scale to 10

The analysis of these results show us that more than half of the participants, 60% to be more precise, rate the advertisements content disgusting with the rating to be on the red thin line of being really disgusting. On the other hand the rest of the participants graded it in low levels of disgust-creation levels. Marketers should keep an eye on the content of the advertisements used in this study so as to create similar

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content in the future as such content has been proved by the survey to be approved in terms of causing disgust feelings- from the majority of the audience.

Statistical results of numerical ratings in a scale from 1 to 10 on the question the advertisements are improper 70% (14 participants) rated the advertisements 7 in a scale to 10 20% (4 participants) rated the advertisements 4 in a scale to 10 10% (2 participants) rated the advertisements 2 in a scale to 10

The analysed results of this questions clearly state that the vast majority of the participants understand and subsequently rate with the logical reasoning method that the content of the advertising campaigns chosen for this study can be characterized as improper. To define improper content, we mean that the content is not ethically, morally or in general acceptable for normal advertising.

Statistical results of yes/no type of answers in the question I can clearly understand the purpose of these advertisements 70% (14 participants) answered NO 30% (6 participants) answered YES

The analysis of these results is highly important; the vast majority of the participants answered that they cannot clearly understand the purpose of the advertisements used in this survey. To simply translate this, they cannot answer clearly in their mind the question why are we being shown this content? What are they trying to say at all?. It is obvious that the content in shock advertising should be adjusted properly to make simpler yet clear to the audience the main purpose of the advertisement. To make campaigns that will shout we are promoting this product/service/cause and we want to tell you this message.

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Statistical results of yes/no type of answers in the question Do you approve the usage of such pictures/content to promote a product/service/cause? 50% (10 participants) answered YES 50% (10 participants) answered NO

The results depict a big division in the participants views. Exactly half of the participants approve the usage of shocking-classified advertising methods while the other half disapproves. More survey should be done in this area and in a wider audience so as to gain more efficient data to analyse and derive results.

Statistical results of yes/no type of answers in the question I paid more attention to the pictures rather than the actual product/service/cause advertised 65% (13 participants) answered YES 35% (7 participants) answered NO

The analysis of the above results shows that this question can provide the answer to why there were such results in the answers of the previous question I can clearly understand the purpose of these advertisements. The result was the pictures; the majority of the participants paid much more attention to the depicted content rather than the product/service/cause depicted and advertised. Marketers should decrease the level at which the shock advertising content is attention-grabbing as the content can now be defined clearly as distracting from the main purpose which is no other than promoting a product/service/cause. Also here there another one aspect to consider; if marketers could better connect the brand-name with the content than actually a product, service or cause, it could help embed the brand-name in the consumers mind and then later after the pre-customized period of promotion of shocking content, change the strategy to promotion of the brand-name with the product/service/cause. An example is being provided in the next lines. DUREX could create shocking content related with AIDS such as the picture in the Appendix 3 with a big DUREX instead of the message on the wall. After a considerable period of this campaigns promotion, the company could do some surveys and find when the target audience clearly can recall the advertisement because of the shocking content. When the results

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show that the target audience is accustomed to this content and it has become a part of their everyday life, then change the campaign to simply a big DUREX with a small pack of condoms on the hot points of humans image viewing. Usually being upper left part or lower right part of the picture.

Statistical results of yes/no type of answers in the question Would you discuss with someone else (friends/family) about these advertisements? 70% (14 participants) answered YES 30% (6 participants) answered NO

The analysis of the results depicted above show that such advertisements can easily become a topic of discussion with other people after the subject has viewed it. They can trigger discussions which can be easily defined as the word-of-mouth advertisements. Word of mouth or WOM can clearly become a cost-effective way for marketers to promote a product/service/cause. Any publicity is good publicity as Phineas Taylor Barnum is rumored to have said.

Statistical results of yes/no type of answers in the question I consider such advertisements a good way to pass a message 60% (12 participants) answered NO 40% (8 participants) answered YES

Those almost close results show the diversity of opinion between what is acceptable to be used in advertisements and what is not. Marketers should create content that clearly appeal to the audience that consider such shock campaigns a good way to advertise and then adjust it properly to match the standards of those who do not approve. Therefore they can put themselves in a win-win situation and evade any potential public rejection.

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Statistical results of yes/no type of answers in the question The advertisements make me want to learn more about the product/service/cause that is promoted 80% (16 participants) answered NO 20% (4 participants) answered YES

The analysis of the answers in this questions shows that the participants do not really care to know about the promoted product, service or cause. If we combine these results with the results of the question Would you discuss with someone else (friends/family) about these advertisements? one can easily assume that the audiences main interest is to have a topic of conversation rather than actually promote products or services. The word of mouth would promote the depicted shocking content mainly. But marketers can use such content as a platform for promoting the product or service they want.

Statistical results of yes/no type of answers in the question I believe such ways of advertising a product/service/cause should be used more often 50% (10 participants) answered YES 50% (10 participants) answered NO

In the analysis of this questions results, it is clearly defined that there is not a leading opinion as to whether shocking advertising methods should be applied more often or not. More research is needed to be done in this field in the future so as to clearly record the variety of opinions that exist in the audience and afterwards the marketers will decide whether to go with the flow or against it.

Statistical results of yes/no type of answers in the question I believe such advertising methods should be banned 65% (13 participants) answered YES 35% (7 participants) answered NO

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From these results it is clearly depicted that the majority of the participants do not approve in general shock advertising methods and would agree with a potential ban on all of them. On the other hands, a small yet significant percentage encourages the existence of such methods. The marketers should try to find a way to compromise with the majority that would ban these methods without second thoughts. The balance could be achieved with proper testing and adjustment of any potential campaign leaving both sides satisfied. Statistical results of numerical ratings in a scale from 1 to 10 on the question What is your overall evaluation of the advertisements Smaller number means answers are towards bad whereas bigger means answers are towards good. 40% (8 participants) rated the advertisements 3 in a scale to 10 towards bad 35% (7 participants) rated the advertisements 5 in a scale to 10 which is exactly in the middle 25% (5 participants) rated the advertisements 6 in a scale to 10 towards good The little less than half of the participants rate the advertisements as bad. It can be interpreted as a way not acceptable to promote a product, service or cause. While almost similar percentage just have neutral opinion; this means than in general they would look at them but not spend a lot of time analyzing them, understanding them and find about the product, service or cause depicted. They would just have a look and keep going. Finally one quarter of the participants rated it towards good, this means they actually like such ideas and would like to find out more about such products or services or causes; they would actively seek for a bit more information.

Statistical results of numerical ratings in a scale from 1 to 10 on the question I will remember these advertisements for a long time Smaller number means answers are towards strongly disagree whereas bigger means answers are towards strongly agree.

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60% (12 participants) rated the advertisements 6 in a scale to 10 towards strongly agree 25% (5 participants) rated the advertisements 8 in a scale to 10 towards strongly agree 15% (3 participants) rated the advertisements 3 in a scale to 10 towards strongly disagree

In the analysis of these results is clearly depicted that shocking advertising methods can be strongly printed on the participants mind. It is a very effective method to make something to be remembered easily for a long time and therefore to be recalled with the proper bait to come out and make people recall the image along with the promoted product, service or cause. A quarter of the participants would remember such campaigns for even more time as they were highly assured of themselves that they will remember it.

Statistical results of numerical ratings in a scale from 1 to 10 on the question I feel well informed about the promoted product/service/cause after watching these advertisements. Smaller number means answers are towards strongly disagree whereas bigger means answers are towards strongly agree. 50% (10 participants) rated the advertisements 4 in a scale to 10 towards strongly disagree 25% (5 participants) rated the advertisements 5 in a scale to 10 exactly in the middle 25% (5 participants) rated the advertisements 8 in a scale to 10 towards strongly agree In the analysis of the results depicted above, the vast majority of the participants half of them- answered that they feel not properly informed about the promoted product, service or cause after watching the selected shocking advertisements. It is also essential to state at this point that the other half of the participants feel either just properly informed or very well informed about the promoted product, service, or cause. It is needed be to state at this point after analyzing, presenting and discussing all the results that, it is still unclear if whether a shocking advertisement can effectively

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promote a product, service or cause; in some occasions it is noticed that the overall shocking impression steals the attention from the promoted product. Despite that, such advertising methods have very deep reach and can easily break into the peoples everyday life if the shocking factor is tested and adjusted many times in order to find the overall balance.

CONCLUSION

The main objective of this dissertation was to examine peoples attitudes towards shock advertising and use the information gathered to make advertising more effective. In order to examine this first of all the literature review was performed by checking thoroughly a vast range of existing surveys and literature, afterwards the methodology chapter explained carefully why specific method was chosen and with which criteria in order to examine the dissertation topic thoroughly. Data collection took place and afterwards was the analysis of the collected data from the survey and finally the discussion and explanation of the results. After this dissertation it easy to answer to the question made by Dahl, if it pays to shock, and the answer is yes but with proper care only.

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APPENDIX

Appendix 1 Type of Offence 1 Disgusting Images Description References to blood, body parts or secretions, orifices, especially urinary/fecal, odors, disease, parasites, bodily harm (e.g. dismemberment), death References to masturbation, implied sexual acts, sexually suggestive nudity or partial nudity Swear words, obscene gestures, racial insults References to crude or distasteful acts by humans or animals, such as nose picking, farting, licking, humping, or drinking from the toilet Violations of social conventions for dress, manners, etc. Harming innocent people/animals, gratuitous violence or sex, alluding to people or objects that provoke violence (e.g. Hitler), violating standards for fair behavior (e.g. shooting a person in the back), putting children in provocative situations (e.g., sexual, violent),victim exploitation Inappropriate use of spiritual or religious symbols and/or rituals

2 3 4

Sexual References Profanity/obscenity Vulgarity

5 6

Impropriety Moral offensiveness

Religious taboos

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APPENDIX 2

Advertiser: Max Magazine Text: Please dont speed near schools

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APPENDIX 3

Advertiser: Michael Stich Foundation Text: "BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH LIES ONLY 0.003 MM LATEX"

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APPENDIX 4

Advertiser: Max Magazine Text: FUCK AIDS

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APPENDIX 5

Advertiser: Government of Iceland Text: A NON-SMOKING SECTION IN A RESTAURANT IS LIKE A NONURINATING SECTION IN A SWIMMING POOL

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APPENDIX 6

Advertiser: Dolce & Gabbana Text: DOLCE & GABBANA

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APPENDIX 7

Advertiser: Barnardos Text: THERE ARE NO SILVER SPOONS FOR CHILDREN BORN INTO POVERTY and with small letters Baby Mary is three minutes old. Thanks to poverty she faces a desperate future. Poverty is waiting to crush Mary's hope and ambition and is likely to lead her to a future of drug use. We can't end poverty but we can provide the practical skills that Mary and thousands of others in the UK need to stop it predetermining their lives. Don't let poverty destroy a future. Call us

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APPENDIX 8

Advertiser: AXE No text on the image

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Appendix 9

SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE
Rate the advertisements by circling your answer

The advertisements cause fear The advertisements are controversial The advertisements are disturbing The advertisements are shocking The advertisements are offensive The advertisements are disgusting The advertisements are improper

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

4 4 4 4 4 4 4

5 5 5 5 5 5 5

6 6 6 6 6 6 6

7 7 7 7 7 7 7

8 8 8 8 8 8 8

9 9 9 9 9 9 9

10 10 10 10 10 10 10

I can clearly understand the purpose of these advertisements YES NO

Do you approve the usage of such pictures to promote a product/service/cause? YES NO

I paid more attention to the pictures rather than the actual product/service/cause advertised YES NO

Would you discuss with someone else (friends/family) about these advertisements? YES NO

I consider such advertisements a good way to pass a message YES NO

51 The advertisements make me want to learn more about the product/service/cause that is promoted YES NO I believe such ways of advertising a product/service/cause should be used more often YES NO I believe such advertising methods should be banned YES NO

What is your overall evaluation of the advertisements Bad 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Good

I will remember these advertisements for a long time Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Strongly Agree

I feel well informed about the promoted product/service/cause after watching these advertisements Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Strongly Agree

Participant Information

Age: . Gender: F M

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APPENDIX 10 # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 TOTAL NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS 20 AGE 21 21 24 20 19 20 20 23 26 25 24 24 22 21 25 24 23 19 23 21 AVERAGE AGE OF THE PARTICIPANTS 22.25 GENDER M M M F F F F F M F M F M M F F M M M M GENDER OF THE PARTICIPANTS IN TOTAL 11 MALES/ 9 FEMALES