User:Mattgarv/sandbox

Sometimes, an attitude change may be incidental. In the boomerang effect, an attitude changes in the opposite direction from what the message advocates—the listener is driven away from, rather than drawn to, an idea. This explains why often times fear appeals used in advertising do not work on the audience. As the threat perceived by the audience increases and the capacity to produce the desired effect is low, people will tend to do the opposite of what is advocated. An example of this can be seen in 2003, when the five largest US cigarette manufacturers spent $72.9 million on anti-youth smoking advertisements. The ads had the opposite effect, with an increase in favorable attitudes towards smoking seen in the US youth. The boomerang effect can also be seen when one side of an issue is heavily addressed, causing the public opinion to "boomerang" to the opposite, under represented side of this issue.