Imagine you’re scrolling through an online marketplace and spot a pair of designer shoes you’ve been longing for priced far below retail. A warning pops up, alerting you of the dangers of buying counterfeit goods. Feeling talked down to, you dismiss the message and click “Buy now” anyway, figuring it’s just a scare tactic.

A new report from Michigan State University shows that anti-counterfeiting messages can backfire if people feel their freedom to choose a product is being threatened. When that happens, they often tune out the message, and efforts to change their buying habits don’t work.

This concept, called psychological reactance, is introduced in a new report conducted by researchers in MSU’s Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection, or A-CAPP, titled “When Organizations Talk to Consumers about Counterfeiting.” It occurs when consumers develop unintended negative feelings, thoughts and behaviors upon exposure to anti-counterfeiting messages.

“When consumers view anti-counterfeiting messages that use controlling language, focus on negativity or loss, and include graphic content, they may feel threatened by the perceived limitation in their choice of vendor,” said Anastasia Kononova, associate professor of advertising and public relations in the MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences and a lead researcher on the report.

Kononova and the A-CAPP research team reviewed 94 campaigns with nearly 400 unique messages and conducted experimental testing to help clarify messaging nuance in the fight against fake products. According to the researchers’ findings, organizations from the pharmaceutical, electronics and tools industries used the most reactance-inducing elements in their messaging.

The global counterfeits industry is estimated to be worth $467 billion. It can mean problems for consumers, from wasted money on low-quality items, to health consequences from hazardous materials used to create them. Previous research from MSU’s Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection showed that 74% of consumers surveyed across 17 countries have purchased counterfeits knowingly and/or unknowingly. More than half of participants reported buying counterfeit products knowingly, while two-thirds reported having been deceived into buying these products.

“The exponential growth in the prevalence of counterfeit products makes it critical for multiple stakeholders to understand the need and value of communicating with consumers to change how they think about counterfeits and their own purchase decisions,” said Kari Kammel, director of the A-CAPP Center.

Moving past fear-based messaging

Ninety percent of messages in the new report contained at least one reactance-reducing feature, or message appeal that lowered the chances that audience members would feel threatened by them. Despite this prevalence, most of those reactance-reducing messages were limited use of low-controlling language, such as suggesting consumers not to buy counterfeits, and self-referencing, which relates the risk of counterfeiting to individuals’ personal experiences, instead of other strategies, such as:

• Gain frames, or highlighting what one would gain from refraining to buy counterfeit
• Narratives, or individual stories
• Positive emotional appeals, or highlighting positive aspects of buying authentic brands

Though reactance-reducing features were frequent, reactance-inducing features were prevalent in more intense ways. These messaging strategies attempt to highlight the dangers of buying counterfeit products by emphasizing fear-based appeals, such as highlighting the health risks associated with buying and using counterfeits, referencing death, criminal activity and support for organized crime, and harm to society as a potential outcome of buying and using counterfeit products.

“The best way to influence consumers may be to send messages that aren’t solely fear-focused,” Kononova said. “Limiting messages to communicating about the dangers of buying counterfeits without persuading consumers how to change their attitudes and behaviors might not lead to the most optimal outcomes.”

Consider the source

Psychological reactance is just one aspect of anti-counterfeiting communication nuance. Participants in the report perceived nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, as the least authoritative sources for anticounterfeiting messaging. Commercial companies, government agencies and international organizations all ranked higher.

“Perceived authority factors heavily into how consumers interpret messages, especially when considered alongside psychological reactance,” said Kononova. “When fear is communicated by an authoritative source, consumers conflate the authoritative attributes of the source with a higher chance of trying to control them and limit their freedom. Eventually, they stop listening, and the attempt to change their attitudes and behaviors fails.”

Dynamics like these and other factors — message formats like print versus video; co-reactance messaging or messages that include both types of appeals that elicit and reduce reactance; audience member purchasing history; and other characteristics — each impact how individual consumers interpret and act upon anti-counterfeiting messages. They also open the door for partnership between different stakeholders to increase messaging effectiveness.

“The tricky part is informing consumers about the risks in a way that enhances the chances of their receptiveness to these communication efforts,” said Kammel. “No one likes to feel scared or like their freedom is being limited, so there’s a lot of nuance needed in anti-counterfeiting messaging — and that nuance changes depending on who and where the message comes from.”

Tips for safer shopping

The A-CAPP Center recommends these practices to consumers who want to ensure their products are genuine and safe:

• Cut out the middleman. Buying directly from a brand or manufacturer is a safe way to avoid counterfeits. Visit the company’s website or call them directly to place your order.
• Double-check distributors. If you buy from e-commerce sites working with third-party sellers like Amazon or Walmart, it’s a good idea to check who created the listing. Look for words like “sold by” on the product page. The safest listings come from a products manufacturer or brand.
• Do your own research. Before you buy from a third-party seller, consider looking them up online first. If you have trouble finding a company website, physical address or other basic information, it may be wise to find a different seller.
• Read reviews. While product reviews aren’t always reliable, a flood of negative reviews about the item’s quality or the seller’s customer service could indicate an untrustworthy seller.
• Review and report. After buying from a third-party seller, thoroughly inspect your purchases. Are there typos on the label? Is the product logo different or altered in some way? If yes, it’s a good idea to avoid using the product. You can report the issue to the e-commerce platform where you purchased it and request a refund. You also could report the product listing to the actual brand or manufacturer. To help prevent other shoppers from making the same purchase, report the counterfeit seller to a government agency to investigate. For example, in Michigan, you can report counterfeit products to the state attorney general’s Consumer Protection team.

Tips for communications campaigns

Brand professionals and other stakeholders may reassess their voice, audience and tactics in designing future anti-counterfeiting communication campaigns. Here are some tips A-CAPP researchers recommend.

• Know your audience. Add a consumer segmentation strategy to your campaign development. Counterfeit buyers are more confident that they can protect themselves, but they also respond well to anti-counterfeiting messaging that is tailored to their perceptions and past behaviors. They’re open to sharing these messages with others and express more understanding of the problem severity, their vulnerability and motivation to protect themselves.
• Get the best of both worlds. Low-reactance messages may help increase awareness and online engagement, while high-reactance messages may help curb counterfeit buying behaviors. A sound strategy does not solely center on communicating about the dangers of buying counterfeits or the severe harms they can cause; rather, offer consumers specific ways in which they get motivated to buy authentic brands and also know how to spot fakes in a sophisticated environment where it is increasingly difficult to do so.
• Tell the story. Low-reactance persuasion techniques like storytelling and gain-focused narratives are currently underutilized but can help increase the impact of messages. Using video instead of print can also maximize engagement and drive behavior change.
• Stakeholders, unite! Draw from diverse expertise to make your messaging more persuasive. For example, if you’re a nonprofit, reach out to law enforcement and other government agencies for partnership — and vice versa.