5.2 Shock

Whilst some messages play on people’s fears, others intentionally shock the audience to get their attention. Here, it is the surprise caused by the message that creates the initial impact. The shock can be caused by a wide variety of stimuli: an upsetting image, a provocative message, an obscene slogan, a sexually explicit visual, a breach of a moral or social code, and so on.

Shock advertising can have a significant impact on the audience because the message violates social norms and expectations (Dahl et al., 2003). The need to make sense of why the message is being transmitted leads to greater levels of cognitive engagement with it, which can, in turn, lead to higher levels of recall and recognition.

A famous example of shock advertising was Benetton’s long-running ‘United Colors of Benetton’ campaign, in which print advertising employed images that sought to challenge consumer attitudes and values, such as religious leaders embracing, death row prisoners and graphic bodily images. Examples from the campaign can be found here [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] – please be advised that this link contains graphic images and images that some people might find upsetting or offensive.