How advertisements use fear to influence you | Tobias Hysell | TEDxBGSU

Key Concepts:

• Public Service Announcement (PSA): Advertisements designed to educate the public about an issue or event rather than sell a product.
• Fear as an Advertising Tactic: Using fear to make a message memorable and impactful.
• Engineering of Consent: Manipulating public opinion through sociological and psychological principles.
• FOMO (Fear of Missing Out): The worry that others will experience something one will not.
• Self-Determination Theory (SDT): A theory of motivation and personality that concerns people's inherent growth tendencies and innate psychological needs.
• Shock Advertising: Intentionally startling viewers to make an advertisement memorable.
• Relatedness: The ability to create kinship between a person and a group.

1. Introduction to Public Service Announcements (PSAs)

• The speaker recounts a childhood experience of watching a PSA about workplace safety that left a lasting impression.
• A PSA is defined as a message shared with the general public to raise awareness for an issue or event, according to the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
• Examples of PSAs include the "This is your brain on drugs" campaign and featuring missing children on milk cartons.

2. Fear as a Persuasive Technique

• The speaker emphasizes the use of fear as a tactic to make messages stick in people's minds.
• Edward Bernays popularized this idea in advertising with his essay "The Engineering of Consent," which describes manipulating public opinion using sociological and psychological philosophies.
• Bernays' methods are used to convince people to purchase something.

3. The Role of FOMO in Advertising

• FOMO, or fear of missing out, was coined by Patrick J. McGinnis and popularized in the Harvard Business School magazine.
• Advertising companies utilize FOMO by creating a sense of urgency or exclusivity, such as limited-edition items or events with specific end dates.
• The goal is to influence people to participate to avoid feeling left out.

4. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Relatedness

• Self-determination theory (SDT) is a way to organize how people view themselves and their worth to society, split into autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
• Relatedness, the ability to create kinship between a person and a group, is particularly relevant in FOMO-based advertising.
• Feeling left out can lower a person's self-worth, as humans strive for emotional connections and shared experiences.

5. Shock Advertising and Its Effects

• The speaker shares a personal experience of being traumatized by a workplace safety PSA featuring a woman spilling boiling water on herself.
• This technique is known as shock advertising, which intentionally startles viewers to make the advertisement memorable.
• While effective for brand recall, shock advertising can lead to backlash due to offensive content and negative associations with the brand.
• It can also have negative effects on viewers, who may find the content disturbing.

6. The Purpose and Impact of PSAs

• PSAs are created to provide a service to the public by announcing something that helps society.
• While some PSAs may be scary, dark, or uncomfortable, they are ultimately intended to improve society.
• The speaker argues that the frightening nature of some PSAs reflects the frightening realities of life.
• Example: Anti-drug PSAs may be disturbing, but they aim to prevent viewers from experiencing the same consequences.

7. Case Study: Ad Council Japan PSA

• In 2010, Ad Council Japan created a PSA featuring animal characters teaching polite phrases to children.
• The PSA continued to air during the 2011 earthquakes, providing a sense of normalcy and comfort to children during a traumatic time.
• Comment sections on re-uploads of the PSA reveal how it stood out as a source of stability and understanding amidst the disaster.

8. Conclusion: Recognizing and Utilizing Fear

• The speaker urges viewers to recognize when they are being manipulated by fear-based advertising techniques.
• Understand when companies are using FOMO or shocking content to influence purchasing decisions.
• Most importantly, recognize when these techniques are trying to help you rather than make you feel worse about yourself.
• Take action based on the messages in PSAs to make the world a better place, even if it's frightening.
• Fear is a tool; use it wisely.