Abstract
This study investigated the influence of both nationality and cultural orientation on reactions to fear appeal messages including a self-targeted or a family-targeted threat. Participants from Spain (n = 138) and from the Netherlands (n = 127) either read a version of a story that accentuated the misery of a girl suffering from chlamydia, or a version that focused on her parents’ sorrow. Cultural orientation was assessed using a scale for measuring individualism and collectivism, and a scale for measuring familism. Contrary to claims from the earlier studies, neither nationality nor cultural orientation proved to interact with message version on any of the outcome variables.
Notes
1. In chronological order: Perea and Slater (Citation1999), Laroche et al. (Citation2001), Murray-Johnson et al. (Citation2001: two studies), Williams, Donnel, Briley, Grier, and Henderson (Citation2003: two studies), Vincent and Dubinsky (Citation2004), Cochrane and Quester (Citation2005), Jansen et al. (Citation2006), Terblanche-Smit and Terblanche (Citation2011), Lee and Park (Citation2012), Chung and Ahn (Citation2013).
Perea, A., & Slater, M. D. (1999). Power distance and collectivist/individualist strategies in alcohol warnings: Effects by gender and ethnicity. Journal of Health Communication, 4, 295–310. doi:10.1080/108107399126832 Laroche, M., Toffoli, R., Zhang, Q., & Pons, F. (2001). A cross-cultural study of the persuasive effect of fear appeal messages in cigarette advertising: China and Canada. International Journal of Advertising, 20, 297–317. Murray-Johnson, L., Witte, K., Liu, W. Y., Hubbell, A. P., Sampson, J., & Morrison, K. (2001). Addressing cultural orientations in fear appeals: Promoting AIDS-protective behaviors among Mexican immigrant and African American adolescents and American and Taiwanese college students. Journal of Health Communication, 6, 335–358. doi:10.1080/108107301317140823 Williams, J. D., Briley, D. A., Grier, S. A., & Henderson, G. R. (2003, December). Fear appeals between and within cultures. In S. M. Smith (Ed.), Proceedings of the Ninth Cross-cultural Research Conference, Jamaica (on CD). Vincent, A. M., & Dubinsky, A. J. (2004). Impact of fear appeals in a cross-cultural context. Journal of Euromarketing, 14, 145–167. doi:10.1300/J037v14n01_08 Cochrane, L., & Quester, P. (2005). Fear in advertising. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 17, 7–32. doi:10.1300/J046v17n02_0210.1300/J046v17n02_02
Terblanche-Smit, M., & Terblanche, N. S. (2011). HIV/Aids marketing communication and the role of fear, efficacy, and cultural characteristics in promoting social change. Journal of Public Affairs, 11, 279–286. doi:10.1002/pa.42010.1002/pa.420
Lee, H. S., & Park, J. S. (2012). Cultural orientation and the persuasive effects of fear appeals: The case of anti-smoking public service announcements. Journal of Medical Marketing: Device, Diagnostic and Pharmaceutical Marketing, 12, 73–80. doi:10.1177/174579041244314510.1177/1745790412443145
Chung, H., & Ahn, E. (2013). The effects of fear appeal: A moderating role of culture and message type. Journal of Promotion Management, 19, 452–469. doi:10.1080/10496491.2013.81722310.1080/10496491.2013.817223
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