Which of the following is not one of the guidelines marketers should follow when using fear appeals?

References marked with an asterisk indicate studies included in the meta-analysis.

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Page 2

Theories and hypotheses tested.

MBA AspectTheoryHypothesisCurrent Meta-AnalysisRelevant Prior Meta-Analyses
MessageLMHigh depicted fear will lead to better outcomes than moderate depicted fearPartial supportBoster & Mongeau (1984)
Sutton (1982)
Witte & Allen (2000)
CMHigh depicted fear will lead to worse outcomes than moderate depicted fearNot supported
ESStrong: Fear appeals that lack efficacy statements will produce negative effectsNot supportedde Hoog et al. (2007)
Earl & Albarracin (2007)
Floyd et al. (2000)
Milne et al. (2000)
Peters et al. (2012)
Witte & Allen (2000)
ESWeak: Fear appeals that lack efficacy statements will produce weaker effects (less positive or null) relative to fear appeals that include efficacy statementsSupported
SMFear appeals with high depicted severity (and low depicted susceptibility) will positively influence attitudes but will not influence intentions or behaviorsPartial supportde Hoog et al. (2007)
Floyd et al. (2000)
Milne et al. (2000)
SMFear appeals with high depicted susceptibility (and low depicted severity) will positively influence intentions and behaviors but will not influence attitudesSupported
SMFear appeals with high depicted severity and high depicted susceptibility will positively influence attitudes, intentions, and behaviorsSupported
BehaviorRSATFear appeals will be more effective for one-time versus repeated behaviorsSupportedNone
PTFear appeals will be more effective for detection versus promotion/prevention behaviorsNot supported
TMTWhen fear appeals recommend an SEE behavior, fear appeals that mention death should be more effective than fear appeals that do notNot supported
TMTWhen fear appeals recommend an SEH behavior, fear appeals that mention death should be less effective than fear appeals that do notNot supported
TMTFear appeals that mention death (versus not) will be more effective for delayed outcomesNot supported
AudienceRFTFear appeals will be more effective for female versus male audiencesSupportedNone
RFTFear appeals will be more effective for collectivist versus individualist audiencesNot supported
TMEarly: Fear appeals will be more effective for people in early TM stages of changeNot supported
TMLate: Fear appeals will be more effective for people in late TM stages of changeNot supported