The Study of the Impact of Shock Tactics in Advertising upon Consumers in Republic of Moldova

Abstract

Advertising can appeal to the rational side of consumers, it can convey information and elicit cognitive reactions, however the most interesting aspect of advertising is the emotional aspect that affects the feelings of the audience. Striving for exceptionalism and persuasion, advertisers tend to use dramatic emotions, they create messages that would shock consumers and increasingly resort to breaking social norms and established morals, so that their advertising messages break through the traditional advertising clutter and reach the existing or potential customer. Since the 1980s, shock advertising has gained interest among both advertising industry specialists and academics. For the national context, shock advertising is a new, less studied field, but one that is attracting increasing attention from both theorists and practitioners in the field who are looking for innovative methods of communication. The aim of this article is to analyze how Moldavian consumers react to various shock tactics in advertising, that is argued by the need to understand how it could help companies create a competitive advantage and what are the benefits and risks of using shock tactics in various contexts in our country. For this study authors used mixed methods of research (qualitative and quantitative), including two focus-groups and a survey with a sample of 600 people. The results show that there are differences in reactions due to demographic factors, such as age and sex, but also cultural factors such as religion. Moldavian consumers are not very tolerant to shock advertising and disgusting images, religion taboo and cruelty were perceived as most offensive. In the same time consumers reacted more positively to the use of shock tactics in social advertising in comparison with the commercial context, considering it more effective in attracting attention and influencing consumers to act. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53486/cike2023.13; UDC: 659.1:366.1(478); JEL: M1, M3