Fundamentals of Public Communication Campaigns

CHAPTER 4 Thought-Provoking Public Communication Campaigns

A certain number of public communication campaigns disseminate thought-provoking messages to capture the attention of audiences or specific target groups. Such types of campaigns must come from reliable sources, have substance that attracts the audience’s attention and, if feasible, try to impact social norms. Two exemplars of thought-provoking emotions are fear and provocation. Campaign strategists have been known to incorporate frightening, sexually-arousing, or crass humor as ways to capture the attention of intended populations. Dilemmas as to whether we should use such message appeals are something to behold. Messages found to be the most shocking but unforgettable to Vietnamese and Latino smokers were vivid depictions of cancerous tumors. Messages with fear appeals have more chances of raising awareness of the dangers of unhealthy practices like smoking, in hopes of reducing tobacco use. Nevertheless, some members of the audience may perceive such illustrations as distasteful or too creepy.¹ The first half of this chapter will discuss fear in detail, whereas the second half will tackle the concept of provocation.

By definition, fear is an unpleasant emotion that emerges in situations of seeming threat or danger to individuals or their environment. It often enables them to react to these situations in a flexible manner. In many instances, fear is activated automatically as a response; it is a type of unconscious ...