Volume : 6, Issue : 1, January - 2017

ETHICS AND FEAR APPEAL IN ADVERTISING

Babal Preet Kaur

Abstract :

<p>&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">Post liberalization period in the Indian economy has ought many challenges and opportunities. This makes all enterprises to understand the complexities and essentials of markets and to improve and sustain competitiveness. Response to such complexities and opportunities can be met by formulating appropriate strategies. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">The marketing process is used to attract consumer&rsquo;s behavior in desired manner of producer. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">Consequently, deciding on messages, principles of communication and persuasion are debatably more important in marketing. There is a variety of persuasive mechanisms. Advertising appeals are designed in a way so as to create a positive image about the product.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">Fear appeals are commonly used in many types of marketing communications.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"> However, fear appeals have been criticized as being unethical and manipulative. The purpose of this article is to review and examine the ethical use of fear appeals with the aim of making suggestions on how to improve the ethics of fear appeals.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:&#10;normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;mso-bidi-font-family:&#10;Times-Roman"><o:p></o:p></span></p>