Stock Shock Ad Ideas

Yes, the photo in the ad was of a woman sucking a banana. But, no, the description for the ad didn’t refer to the fruit. Instead, it referred to condoms. But, no, the true objective of showing the ad to the audience wasn’t to sell them condoms. Instead, it was to evaluate the effects of shock advertising—shockvertising.
     The University of Auckland researchers note the value of shock for having an ad stand out in a saturated media environment. At the same time, they recognize how a shocking ad might gain that notice by offending the consumer, making it less likely they’d be persuaded.
     Their study consisted of showing one of eight versions of the ad to different groups of people, most of them American males between ages 25 and 34 years. All versions included a photo of the one banana arranged vertically. For some participants, the banana was shown with a woman’s mouth enclosing the top of the fruit, considered to be the shocking version of the ad, while for other participants, it was just the banana. Some participants were told the ad was for bananas, while the others were told it was for condoms. Some participants were told the ad was for a familiar brand (Dole bananas or Durex condoms), while the others were told it was for a brand less familiar to them (Nature’s Gem bananas or Duo condoms).
     After viewing the ad, each participant was asked questions to indicate how offended, if at all, they were by the ad and how comfortable, if at all, they’d be in purchasing the advertised item.
     Having looked at the issue from all these angles, the results were that the shock made a difference only when the ad was for the familiar brand of bananas. People were more offended and less interested in buying with the version of the ad showing the woman. A follow-up study indicated that the reasons included incongruity and disgust. Your audiences expect more dignity from a better-known brand.
     Still, for those marketing circumstances in which shock would be acceptable, have in stock some ideas for using it, or using surprise, which is a cousin to shock. Studies at Bangor University, Glyndwr University, and Loughborough University provide insight as to why shock works. These images and descriptions trigger storytelling in the mind of the consumer. They spend more time thinking about what the ad’s selling.

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