This study compared fund mising appeals that used either (1) no photogmph, (2) a pleasant "positive" photogmph, or (3) a less pleasant, needy "negative" photogmph. Working closely with World Vision Canada, a humanitarian relief and development organization, the authors used the organization's donor list to create three treatment groups of more than 15,000 each to receive fund raising letters. Dependent variables included response rate and amount of money donated. The no photogmph condition resulted in the highest response mte but the letter with the positive photograph yielded the highest avemge contribution. The negative photogmph resulted in fewest msponses and lowest contributions.Research addressing picture use in printed messages generally concludes that while messages with pictures attract attention and are preferred, adding pictures does not necessarily enhance persuasi0n.l Nevertheless, pictures continue to be included in messages designed to persuade.Among those frequently using photographs in such messages are relief and development agencies. Although Fund raising literature reports that a letter with a photograph can outpull the same letter without a photograph and that pictures of poor, healthy-looking people can outpull pictures of poor, hungry-looking people? the lack of relevant formal research often leaves little more than intuition to guide those responsible for deciding which pictures -i.e. those evoking pleasurable, "positive" emotions like joy and acceptance, versus those evoking painful, "negative" emotions like anger and d i~g u s t ,~ if any, to include i n fund-raising appeals. Predictions that such appeals will become even more dependent on visual s t i~n u l a t i o n ,~ as well as increasing indications that emotions motivate b e h a v i o~r ,~ make it valuable for relief and development organizations to know not only if pictures enhance persuasion, but also whether it is in fact "pleasure" or "pain" that most effectively motivates donors to respond to the needs of others.
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