1.1. Core Idea of Advertisements

Now looking at these advertisements, these messages what is the core of that one what the core idea you can get any idea? well, look at everyone look at all these posters their focus is only one thing. That is they are actually want to increase your fear they want to stop your maladaptive behaviour.

Advertisements often aim to grab our attention and convey a message. In this case, the core idea revolves around using fear as a motivator. Advertisements related to safety and disaster preparedness, for example, focus on increasing people's fear of what might happen if they do not take action. This strategy is effective because fear can be a powerful driver for change in behavior.

Think of a commercial about earthquakes that shows dramatic footage of buildings collapsing. It aims to make viewers fearful of living in an area prone to earthquakes without proper safety measures. By tapping into that fear, the ad encourages people to take preventive steps.

So fear, it is the target the objective is to increase your fear if they can increase your fear that means if they can increase your risk perception, high-risk perception once you have then you should not do rash driving you should not build your house without flood protective measures.

The objective of these advertisements is to elevate your perception of risk, which is related to behaviors like reckless driving or inadequate home construction. By making you more aware of potential dangers, the goal is to encourage you to adopt safer practices to avoid negative consequences.

Imagine a public service announcement that shows real accidents caused by texting and driving. The intent is to instill a sense of fear and urgency, prompting viewers to think twice before engaging in that behavior.

But now the cognitive heuristic approaches they are arguing that okay why I am smoking could be different reason maybe its a kind of my pleasure, my body needs nicotine...

While fear can be a tool for behavior change, it's important to recognize that people's motivations are often complex. For example, someone might smoke for various reasons, such as stress relief or social pressure, not simply due to fear of health consequences. This highlights that fear alone may not be enough to change behavior.

Think of someone who knows smoking is harmful but continues to do it because they enjoy the social aspects or the act itself. Just telling them they're at risk for cancer probably won’t persuade them to quit. They need alternative messages and solutions.

So increasing fear would not help much to promote disaster preparedness right. If only increasing fear it means people could be become fatalist...

Simply instilling fear might lead to a fatalistic attitude, where individuals feel helpless and believe that their situation is beyond control. Therefore, fear-based messaging should also provide actionable steps that individuals can take to mitigate risks and prepare for disasters effectively.

Consider the aftermath of a natural disaster. If a community is told they should be afraid of future floods but is not given specific guidelines on how to prepare, residents might feel overwhelmed and think, 'There’s nothing I can do to prevent this.' Instead, they should be given practical steps to protect themselves, like developing an emergency plan.

we should tell people what they can do it is not only they are at risk but how they can reduce the risk is an important message...

Messages that empower individuals by providing specific actions they can take to reduce their risk are more effective. By offering practical advice alongside the warnings, advertisers can encourage proactive behavior. This is more constructive than merely increasing fear.

For instance, instead of just warning people about the dangers of floods, campaigns should provide clear steps on how to build flood barriers or where to seek shelter. It’s a more comprehensive approach that empowers the audience.

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