TA: shock/fear in advertising

I’d like to mention a few things about a technique used in the advertising world. Often times, advertisers will use shock or fear in order to motivate their audience to do or purchase something. There are a variety of opinions out there on this subject. The technique itself is somewhat questionable on the basis of it’s effects on its audience. I speak specifically about those commercials on TV designed to motivate people to stop using tobacco, or drinking alcohol. Are they too shocking? Some people argue that the cases shown in these commercials (where somebody has cancer or some side effect that is clearly and physically disabling and perhaps unnerving) are too graphic. Those employing these shock/fear techniques would argue that unless they use an ad that is clearly shocking, it will go unnoticed. The technique of using shock, however, for this purpose seems to be somewhat effective for the target audience. The major problem that I see is that they will sometimes inadvertently hit other unsuspecting audiences (other TV viewers). Should these other audiences be exposed to these types of commercials? Personally I think these commercials don’t hurt people, they give a perspective of an issue that may be worth seeing. If the shock they use is untrue, it need not be used and is actually deceiving, but real life situations can be effective teaching tools for everyone.