Negative appeals: the neglected side of promotion -- a comprehensive examination. (promotional component of marketing)

The people explaining the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island tried creatively to repackage and market their negative situation into something more positive. Their press releases, for example, described the fires as "rapid oxidation" and the explosion as "energetic disassembly" [19].

We can look back and smile today at how ineffective they were in selling that message to the public, but we cannot chuckle too loudly. Whether then or now, "negatives" in the world of marketing and its promotion component are usually associated with failure.

The traditional marketing wisdom still prevails: keep the emphasis from being put on the negative and one can avoid failure. Such a philosophy is so ingrained in the marketing world that most marketing persons find it difficult to operate from any other point of view. Whether a product is nuclear power or dish washing detergent, a healt care plan or a new kind of flea power, the governing principle is to stress and promote the positive.

New evidence is emerging, however, that suggests that promotional strategists should not overlook the possibilities of using negative motivational and emotional themes. Additional information indicates promotional personnel should also consider new approaches to selling "negative" products. These are products that buyers dislike purchasing, such as burial accessories, flawed goods, or personally sensitive items like hemorrhoid creams or suppositories.

This article reviews the available literature on the major negative motivational tools (and related themes) and cites examples of how the negative inducements outlined in Tables 1 and 2 below have been utilized. Also reviewed are three negative product categories that marketers need to better understand.

The examples, when examined together, are strong evidence that negative appeals can be highly effective in the hands of sophisticated professionals.

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