Effects Of Fear Appeal,Sex Appeal And Gender Perspective On Acceptance Of Condom Advertising

Condom advertising is of great importance in reducing the probability of unintended pregnancy and HIV infection.To investigate the differences in the effects of different combinations of message characteristics in condom advertisements,based on the theoretical framework of EPPM model,the current study carried out a controlled experiment to investigate the interactive effects of fear appeal,sexual appeal and gender perspective of the advertisement on the acceptance of condom advertising,using university students in the mainland of China as subjects.The results of the study showed that the use of sexual appeal significantly increased the level of perceived threat and perceived efficacy in the presence of fear appeals.In addition,In the context of fear appeal advertisement,the use of sexual appeals reduced the acceptance level of male perspective advertisements and increased the acceptance level of female perspective advertisements.There was a significant positive correlation between the level of perceived threat and the level of message reactance when subjects were at a low level of perceived efficacy,and a significant positive correlation between the level of perceived threat and the level of message acceptance when they were at a medium to high level of perceived efficacy.Regardless of the level of perceived threat after viewing the advertisements,there was a significant positive correlation between the level of perceived efficacy and the level of message acceptance.Based on the results of the experiment,this study suggests that in the future,condom advertisements should strategically combine different emotional appeals and incorporate more scientific and educational efficacy messages in the advertisements.In addition,emphasis should be placed on promoting a sexually healthy lifestyle and safer sex practices,fostering a ’condom culture’ to promote sexual health.