Suppose That You Work for the Advertising Division of a Car

Multiple Choice

Suppose that you work for the advertising division of a car company, and that you and your team are reviewing advertisements for a new safety feature. You are deciding between an ad with a low-fear message (which simply mentions the feature without demonstrating it) , an ad with a moderate-fear message (which shows how the feature can help drivers avert accidents) , and an ad with a high-fear message (which shows a horrific collision resulting from driving in a car without the feature) . All else being equal, research on fear-based messaging would suggest that you should air ____.

A) the low-fear ad
B) the high-fear ad
C) the moderate-fear ad
D) either the low-fear ad or the high-fear ad, but not the moderate-fear ad