710 InternatIonal
Journal of advertIsIng, 2014, 33(4)
What to show Needy vs helped beneficiariesAnother issue to consider when creating a charity ad is whether to show a helped beneficiary or a needy beneficiary of the donations.
Bendapudi et al. (1996) proposed that the issue is important when using images in charity advertising however, no prior studies have dealt with this issue.
The different effects of a helped vs a needy beneficiary can be explained using empathy. Empathy – defined as viewing another person’s situation from
the perspective of that person, and understanding how the situation appears to that person and how that person is reacting cognitively and emotionally to the situation (Basil
et al. 2008, pis an important response to charity ads (Basil
et al. 2008) and plays an important role in evoking proso- cial behaviours (Bagozzi & Moore 1994; Unger & Thumuluri 1997; Basil
et al. 2008). Researchers have categorised empathy into two types empathic concern and personal distress (Batson & Coke 1981; Batson 1990; Tangney
et al. 2007). Empathic concern or other-oriented empathy involves taking another person’s perspective and vicariously experiencing similar feelings (Tagney
et al. 2007, p. 363). In
contrast, empathisers
with self-oriented empathy, often referred to as personal distress,
focus on their own feelings, needs and experiences evoked by seeing the suffering person (Batson & Coke Showing a needy beneficiary is like presenting a current or actual state that needs improvement or,
in this case, help therefore, it is not pleasant to watch. Viewers will feel negative
emotions such as being upset, worried and disturbed when watching others suffer. These negative emotions lead to personal distress. The viewers will attempt to help others so as to avoid or reduce personal distress, and therefore will have a stronger intention to donate money than to donate time because donors with such egoistic motivation for helping will adopt the easy escape method.
In contrast, watching a helped beneficiary is likely to induce elevation, which is a positive emotion elicited when observing others behaving
in a particular virtuous, commendable or superhuman way (Tangney
et al. 2007, p. 362). Viewers do not seethe helper, but witness how the helping behaviour of others can positively influence a needy beneficiary. Individuals who experience elevation feel a warm and glowing feeling in the chest (Haidt
2000, pa positive emotion that leads to empathic concern (Houston 1990).
In this case, viewers will have more intention to donate time than money because donating time is more self-expressive and affective (Liu & Aaker 2008).
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