Depict Information With Positive Frames

Negative frames depict the absence of events. Our product:

• …doesn’t leak.
• …has no BPA.
• …won’t scratch your car.

Good intentions? Yes. Persuasive? No.

Negative frames are harmful because they depict the negative event (Jacoby, Nelson, & Hoyer, 1982). It resembles the phrase: Don’t think of a pink elephant. People read the previous sentence by imagining a pink elephant.

Therefore, write sentences that depict pleasant events.

• Negative: Our cream won’t hurt your skin.
• Positive: Our cream is soft and gentle on your skin.

If you need to mention the absence of an unpleasant event, morph this word into a positive framing:

• Leak-proof
• BPA-free
• Scratch-free

“Doesn’t leak” generates an image of something leaking, but “leak-proof” generates an image of durable material.

• Jacoby, J., Nelson, M. C., & Hoyer, W. D. (1982). Corrective advertising and affirmative disclosure statements: their potential for confusing and misleading the consumer. Journal of Marketing, 46(1), 61-72.