The influence of cultural factors upon the reactions of consumers to the use of shock tactics in advertising

Abstract

In modern society advertising provokes, stimulates, inspires, motivates, irritates and disturbs, but because of its abundance it sometimes becomes a rather unnoticed detail of the environment. To grab consumers' attention and differentiate themselves among competitors, companies are increasingly using shock tactics in advertising. Meanwhile, shock advertising is designed to emotionally affect and stir thinking, touch people at a fundamental level and encourage action. Shock advertising is a conscious attempt to shock the consumer by violating society's social, cultural, moral, and religious values. Most studies to date have focused on the causes of shock and the impact of shock advertising on consumer behaviour; however, there is a lack of scientific research that would confirm the relationship between consumer responses to shock advertising and cultural factors. The results of the scientific research introduced in the article showed that the nature and intensity of consumer response is determined by the demographic, social and cultural factors of the target segments as well as by different advertising contexts. The purpose of the article is to provide the theoretical foundation for the impact of cultural factors on potential consumer reactions to shock advertising. The purpose of the article is to provide the theoretical foundation for the impact of cultural factors on potential consumer reactions to shock advertising. In order to analyse the cultural aspects of consumers in the Republic of Moldova and understand their impact on possible reactions to shock tactics in advertising, Geert Hofstede's 6 cultural dimensions model was used. The importance of this factors, the advantages and dangers are discussed in this article.