Emotional appeals in drinking and driving campaigns : negative versus positive appeals : a study among university students

Abstract

Car accidents are a prominent issue globally, and a variety of interventions and campaigns have been launched to enhance awareness in the hope of reducing the prevalence of such mishaps. In this case, social marketing takes on a key role in informing the audience of hazardous behaviour that may lead to irrevocable harmful and tragic consequences. This study attempts to investigate the effect of positive (warmth) and negative (fear) appeal commercials on students’ attitudes towards drunk driving. Specifically regarding campaigns which advocate a message to the audience against the risks involved when drinking and choosing to drive. A volunteer sample was randomly assigned to three experimental groups prior to testing. The first group was exposed to the negative appeal commercial, whereas the second group was shown the positive appeal advert. The remaining control group did not watch either of the two adverts before completing the survey. This was done so as to assess the unbiased attitude and behaviour in general towards drinking and driving. Data collection consisted of quantitative analysis through the use of online surveys. A questionnaire was then distributed to the three groups, in order to assess the effectiveness of each of the appeals. This dissertation analyses theoretical models and observational findings which are crucial to understanding the affiliation between fear arousal or warmth appeal when trying to project a precautionary message. The purpose of this study is to establish which of the two appeals might have a greater possibility of inducing viewers to behave in a desired way: in this case, to comply with recommended safety behaviour in order to avoid future accidents. Findings from this research indicate that negative appeal campaigns should be more effective at further instigating the desired negative attitude in viewers towards drunk driving.