Fear induction is one of the most effective persuasion techniques and is commonly used in advertisements and public service announcements. For fear tactics to work there must be three factors to the message. They are ____________, _____________, and ____________.
Explanation
Answer: C - The appeal must engender a lot of fear, the audience must believe the message, and specific instructions for avoiding the danger must be presented. Fear induction can come from all kinds of sources - from politicians warning us of higher taxes and more crime if we don’t vote for them, to ads warning us of social rejection if we don’t use the right mouthwash, or on a more serious note, a public service announcement about drinking and driving. With these three factors in any message, it is likely to be received as ‘truth’ by someone.
