Contextual Research: Shock Advertising

I have come to the conclusion that an effective solution in terms of communicating the severity of avoidable conditions may be to use shock advertising; when individuals get a 'wake up call' and realise the damage that they have done to themselves this can often trigger a sense of realisation and guilt. For example, using threatening messages on cigarette packets continually informs smokers of the consequences that the habit can result in.

A personal example for me was using the 'how much have I cost the NHS' calculator; I was pretty surprised with the results! I know the result isn't 100% accurate but £1,790 is still a lot of money for someone who is relatively healthy?! I blame my childhood asthma and dodgy teenage teeth for bumping the price up a bit haha.

I looked into how much other, more serious procedures cost and I honestly did not realised how extortionate things like surgery and scans are! Worryingly, a lot of these procedures are associated with lifestyle factors, for example restrictive stomach surgery to aid weight loss, and complications with the heart etc. One of the potential solutions could be to inform the audience of how much their avoidable conditions are costing the NHS, although this may be difficult as I do not want to individuals feel an over-whelming sense of guilt for the treatment they have required that may have saved their lives etc.

*TRIGGER WARNING*

I came across these HORRIBLE ads portraying the message of 'obesity is suicide', in the most harrowing and disturbing form of using unhealthy foods to mock weapons used in the process of attempting and succeeding with suicide. They are absolutely awful, yet extremely effective. Sometimes spelling out the message in the bluntest form can persuade an audience to be completely put off their habit whether it be eating, smoking, drinking etc. However other times, the over-dramatised element can sometimes create a sense of complacency with the audience, for example thinking 'oh that will never happen to me'. 

Similarly, adverts promoted by the police and the Government aren't ~quite~ as harrowing, although they are still pretty disturbing. For example this advert of the physical effects of drug use is enough to persuade the majority of people on earth never to touch drugs with a barge pole. The audience will trust this advert more than those similar than the 'obesity is suicide' series for example, as they are real life images that illustrate the progressive damage that drug usage causes.

Some other powerful examples include the methods used to preach about other avoidable circumstances, and issues within society such as the United Colors of Bennetons campaigns for equality, anti-smoking ads and driving safe ads.

I definitely want to include elements of shock advertising within my publication, although at the same time I want to avoid patronising or talking down to my audience and instead create a sense of light-heartedness in a sort of ironic sense that they need to realise that their habits are slowly killing them.