Integrated Marketing Communications

Chapter 6

3. In a means–end chain, what are the means? The ends? How do they affect advertising design?

According to the means-end chain theory, the means are the message that should lead the consumer to a desired end state. These end states are personal values such as: comfortable life, equally, excitement, freedom, fun, happiness, inner peace and others. A means–end chain should start a process in which viewing the ad leads the consumer to believe that using the product will help achieve one of the personal values.

This theory forms the basis of the Means–End Conceptualization of Components for Advertising Strategy (MECCAS) model. This model suggests that six elements should be utilized in creating ads:

1. The product’s attributes

2. Consumer benefits.

3. Leverage points.

4. Taglines

5. Personal values.

6. The executional framework

9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of fear appeals in advertising?

Advertisements featuring fear appeals are commonplace and are more willing to work. Some of the benefits are:

* It increases viewer interest in an advertisement and the ad’s persuasiveness.

* Many individuals remember commercials with fear appeals better than they do warm, upbeat messages.

* Consumers pay more attention to ads using fear and are more likely to process the information it presents, which makes it possible to accomplish the advertisement’s main objective.

The disadvantages are that fear appeals may not be appropriate for all products and that too high of a level of fear may be detrimental.

12. When are sexual appeals most likely to succeed? To fail?

Sexual appeals are often used to break through clutter and are more likely to succeed when an advertisement features a male and female in a sexually provocative setting and it is related to the advertised product. Sex and nudity increase attention, regardless of the gender of the person in the advertisement or the gender of the audience. The attention...