No abstract

Research has established that colors can influence a person's attitude toward an ad. In this article the knowledge about the effects of colors on the perception of ads is linked to a specific type of ads, namely threat appeals. The objective of this study is to examine whether the color used in the background of such a threat appeal can influence its effectiveness. More specifically, the aim is to investigate whether the usage of less or more pleasure‐evoking colors affects threat and efficacy appraisals, evoked fear, and the behavioral intention. Moreover, it is tested whether the impact of the background color on the effectiveness of threat appeals is moderated by the threat level presented in the threat appeal. The findings confirm that the background color does indeed have an impact on its effectiveness. The more pleasing blue color was found to have a more positive impact on the respondents’ feelings of severity and susceptibility than the less appealing yellow. An analysis of the processing patterns subsequently showed that perceived severity has a positive effect on the behavioral intention. This intention is also influenced by the evoked feelings of fear, which are also induced by the respondents’ perceived severity. An interaction effect with threat level indicates that the more appealing background color only increased vulnerability in case of a low threat. Color thus seems to be used more as a peripheral cue to process less involving (low‐threat) messages. In case of a more involving high‐threat message, the processing seems to occur more centrally and less through the color cue. These findings illustrate the importance of color in the design of threat appeals.

Priming can be used to activate mental representations in an unobtrusive manner, so that these unconscious mental processes influence subsequent behaviour. A prime increases the accessibility of mental information regarding a primed issue. The objective of this article is to measure how positive versus negative priming influences the processing and effectiveness of threat appeals to promote flu shots. Threat appeals are used to warn people about a possible (health) risk and to convince them to adopt the recommended behaviour. Priming was found to have an impact on the respondents' feelings of severity and evoked fear. Also the broader environmental context was found to play an important role. This finding is interesting as it opens the door to create more effective threat appeals by controlling or influencing the affective context in which the threat appeal is displayed. An analysis of the processing patterns of the threat appeals showed that perceived severity, self and response efficacy have a positive effect on the behavioural intention to get a flu shot. This intention is also influenced by the evoked feelings of fear, which are induced by the respondents' perceived severity. This provides further proof to confirm the Extended Parallel Process Model. The core social implication of this research is for people who are engaged in preventing diseases or unhealthy behaviours and who use awareness campaigns to reach that goal.

Compulsive buying (CB) -an uncontrolled urge to buy unneeded products -though not yet officially recognised as a mental disorder, causes significant impairments in financial, legal, social and occupational areas of functioning of an affected person. The goal of the current research was twofold: first, to investigate the link between CB and looking at more specific personality traits than the Big Five model, and second to determine whether compulsive buying tendency in a general consumer sample is indicative of potential personality problems. To this end the Personality Adjective Check List (PACL, Strack, 1991) was chosen to measure personality traits in consumers, an instrument with strong theoretical underpinnings based on Millon's evolutionary model of personality that differentiates and links healthy and abnormal character on a continuum (Millon, 1969). The results of hierarchical multiple regressions showed that dependence on self rather than others in maximising pleasure and minimising pain (independence) or uncertainty about how to derive the most pleasure (ambivalence) can make consumers more vulnerable to buy compulsively. Confi dent, Forceful and Sensitive personality styles were positively related to CB whereas Respectful related to CB negatively.