Advertising
Both relief and prevention appeals in commercial advertising use the scare-and-sell technique, emphasizing a problem, then offering the product as a solution. Medicines, for example, are in this category, as well as many self-improvement plans (such as diets, weight-loss programs, muscle building, and breast development) which stress the "bad" of the "Before" condition, and promise relief -- "After" buying the product. The kinds of pains and problems vary, and the degree of intensity. Such problems can range from major pain and suffering to minor discomforts and inconveniences. Caretakers (usually adults, mothers) are the primary target audience for these ads:
Product-centered ads usually focus on tangibles: that a pesticide will kill bugs, or that a medicine will give relief. Some explicit claims for tangibles can be measured. Then, FTC regulations can sometimes be made to get ads to "live up to their claims." Audience-centered ads usually focus on intangibles such as those feelings which relate to our fears and nightmares: the feelings of failure, insecurity, unhappiness, unpopularity, of not being loved. Usually, the association technique is used, linking (1) the product or service, with (2) something already feared or disliked by (3) the intended audience. Because no explicit claims are made, and the implicit suggestions about such intangibles cannot be measured, such ads are very hard to regulate. Political Rhetoric Some persuasion appeals primarily to our natural human desire to get rid of the "bads" we already have. In political persuasion, much of this can be described in terms of progressive rhetoric, ranging from reformers to revolutionaries. Here, the common themes are "It's time for a change!" and "Throw the rascals out."
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