3.3 Message appeal

Message appeal is important because it sets the tone, structure and content for the message. Broadly speaking, there are two main approaches to constructing the message appeal:

• informational appeals (sometimes referred to as a rational appeal)
• emotional appeals (sometimes referred to as a symbolic appeal).

Every message will seek to balance these competing appeals, with some swaying more toward the informational and others toward the emotional.

In the following sections, you will look at the most common forms of informational and emotional appeals.