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The Rochester Advertising Federation posted this interesting mural which is purportedly in a smoking area. It’s suppose to motivate people to quit smoking by getting them to contemplate their own death.
It’s brilliant creative. Unfortunately it’s ineffective because it fails to provide clear steps a person can take to prevent the long term consequence of cancer and death.
Research shows that while fear arousal is sufficient to influence attitudes, it must be paired with specific, detailed recommendations for a person to change their behavior. In this case, including booklets on “How To Quit Smoking,” provided by the US Dept. of Health & Human Services alongside the mural will be more effective than providing a quit smoking hotline phone number or nothing at all.
Remember that fear by itself only leads to inaction, you need to immediately provide concrete, achievable steps for the person to begin minimizing the risk.
Tags: Advertising, behavior, persuasion
