Shockvertising: Trajectory of a controversial advertising technique

Abstract

This article aims to look back at a controversial advertising technique recognized today as an ordinary advertising tool: shockvertising. Using a historical approach, we have built an analytical corpus that covers more than a century of research published in Marketing and advertising on the use of shock. A qualitative examination of this corpus has enabled us to sketch an institutional trajectory for shockvertising, dividing its evolution into several periods. We can thus observe the gradual acceptance of a technique initially condemned by the first advertising professionals, then the segmentation of this technique and its gradual assignment to specific marketing territories, and finally, the questioning of its effectiveness and criticism of its acceptability by new consumer figures anxious to defend and express specific social values. This review provides an overview of current knowledge and opens up new research perspectives on the theme of shockvertising.