The Marketing of Fear

Fear is a powerful driver of decisions Without fear, no one would use seatbelts… you don’t use them because they’re fun, you use them because you worry about what would happen if you crashed without them.






The challenge of marketing with fear isn’t efficacy. Of course fear marketing works. The challenge is ethics and brand. How about the insurance salesman that’s happy to sell you insurance against home invasion, carjacking, etc. The $110 a year includes coverage for psychiatric care and “reward money leading to the apprehension of the perpetrator.”






If a marketer thinks for one second that a consumer doesn’t know about all the bull crap that’s out there that can kill them, tell them to watch TV and look at the pathetic pharmaceutical commercials between the hours of 7 and 10PM. Fear literally kills your brand. People don’t want to hear how another thing has come along to steal away their precious years. They want to know how in the world can I live long enough to scare little kids with my dentures!






The essence of true branding is about promoting the life blood of your organization. If you waste your money (marketers ALWAYS do) on pathetic scare tactics to get consumers to engage with your brand, then get ready for a short shelf life. You’re the one that should be scared because the real brands are the ones that promote life and activity. Just Do It!






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