Why do marketers use violence in campaigns? Is there a moral imperative regarding its use? How do consumers react to its presence? The issue of violence in the media is understandingly complex. Regardless of whether it is morally right or wrong, or whether the media should avoid it's presence in entertainment or advertising, the question remains: why is it there? Interestingly, violence works in advertising and entertainment, in what can be deemed, diametrically opposed directions. Violence is either a powerfully luring or powerfully distressing force. In both capacities, it serves as an effective marketing force.

Rationalizing an Interest in Simulation Videogame and Entertainment Violence:
Arguably, an investigation into the attraction of violence in entertainment and advertising should begin in the realm of videogames - a haven for bloodshed and glory. Experts claim that it is important to understand the "violence" in digital games as fantasy violence, a mutated form that shares little of the true nature of actual violence. An attempt to understand actual violence via mediums like video games or movies is futile, as the leap from pretending to actualizing is one of non-sequitor. Players argue the difficulty of explaining to the non-participants the compelling aspect of many violent video games resides in observer's inability to be "seized by the game."

The transformation from viewer to participant is an emotionally intense experience. Players can acutely recall the initial cold-sweat shock of stepping into a dangerous cyberworld - quickened pulse, overwhelming desire to survive, the humiliation of death, and the desire to prove oneself the next time - the desire to win. Arguably, it is much the same as choosing to be a player or watching from the sidelines at a basketball game.

Therefore, it is no surprise that the most vivid at popular games are the "first-person shooters" (FPS), so named because the participant experiences the cyberworld as though truly walking through it, choosing which weapon to use and who to shoot. Today's FPS games approach photo-realism; they provide a lifelike and vivid cyberworld.

The fact that it is a cyberworld is precisely the appeal. The games simultaneously present a fantasy world that is easily recognized as being derived from the real world - settings, characters and weapons. The games give the player the opportunity to experience an adrenaline-pumping, exhilarating, dangerous phenomenon that he/she would never seek to experience in reality. Players can play guerilla terrorists or heroic Navy Seals in a simulation experience aimed at providing the "next-closest thing." In fact, if one were to examine the precise quality of violence that lures players, it is not the act of killing or hurting, but its startling effects on the mind and body. In fact, it is this automatic bodily response that marketers seek to create in the consumer when utilizing violence in marketing campaigns.

Consider the recent surge of popular interest in martial arts films, particularly last year's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Despite its wonderfully enchanting love story and fabulous ancient tale, the scenes that garnered great praise were the choreographed fight scenes. Additionally, the hot remake "Charlie's Angels" brought huge waves of young viewers to the cinema to witness great-looking women vanquish gun-wielding foes with stylistic prejudice. Needless to say, marketers have tapped into the heightened level of adrenaline surging through the veins of virtual participators or viewers exposed to violence. In a recent commercial for a cheese product, a young girl's imaginary friend beats up her father, for denying him a piece of cheese. In this instance, the humorous aspects of violence are used to attract consumers. In such commercials, the genre of slapstick comedy is employed to rouse laughter.

However, whether this is truly a beneficial strategy is debatable. A recent study by psychologists at Iowa State University says that TV violence makes viewers so emotionally aroused that they cannot remember the commercials that follow. Viewers in three experiments, involving 720 students, were much less likely to remember brand names and other details of commercials that followed violent scenes.

Using Violence to Promote the Other Side:
Alternatively, many marketers have used the shock-value of violence to give greater impact to important social messages. For instance, in 1999, an ad created by Young & Rubicam for the United Way of Greater Toronto, aimed to combat domestic abuse by rendering the woman's life in a grotesque set of checks and balances: The words "He loves me" point to her pearl earrings, her necklace and her bracelet, while the caption "He loves me not" indicates her blackened eye, welted wrist, and bruised arm. The graphic depiction of a battered wife may make some viewers slightly squeamish, but that's precisely the point: to bring a taboo subject into the public dialogue. Likewise, anti-drug governmental campaigns aimed at young persons in an attempt to dissuade trying or using drugs, use powerfully violent or distressing images to connote this important social message. Marketers have long known the positive aspects of using people's revulsion to violent scenes or actions, as a means of gaining public awareness.

Therefore, despite which force a marketer decides to employ in a campaign - attraction or revulsion - it is undeniable that the effect violence elicits on the human body and mind is powerful. Furthermore, it shall come as little surprise that youth are particularly targeted and affected by these forces. Many violent-laden movies and videogames target the 15-29 year age group. Why? Unfortunately the research to answer this question confidently has yet to be conducted in Canada. However, through the continued exploration of youth preferences, consumer behaviour, and general attitudes - it shall become apparent which force will prevail in marketing campaigns of the future.

Article by Tim Carter (Gamesmyther) with contributions from Joanna Erdman.