Sex sells. We all know that. Drape a leggy blonde over the hood of a Chevy Malibu and there you have it: an instant ad. But do you know what sells better than sex? Fear. That’s right. Sweaty-palmed, heart-racing anxiety. Think about it. Obviously, we know fear makes an excellent salesman for condoms, handguns and home alarm systems. But what about other stuff?
Well, fear has sold Volvos for years. You can’t sell safety without it. And right now it is selling Hyundais. Remember their assurance plan? “Buy a Hyundai and if you lose your job, return the car.” Well, funny thing, Hyundai sells are up 20% this year. Yikes! Take politics. Fear is a natural. The Democrats are commies. The Republicans are fascists. Now, don’t you want to vote? How about package goods? Slap “low fat” on the box and drive up sells. And what about the curvy girl in that health club ad? You may think that they’re just using sex to sell, but it’s something far more effective: good old-fashioned paranoia. Gotta lose those unsightly pounds before you hit the beach this summer. Remember the old FedEx® ads of the eighties? Funny, sure. But it wasn’t humor that sold the message of “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.” It was fear talking. The more marketers focus on human behavior, the greater the power of their marketing efforts. Effective advertising has never been about spouting off bullets from the sales sheets. It has always been about connecting with your target on a human level–emotion, excitement, and yes, fear. So if your marketing efforts are not doing everything they can to zero in on basic human nature, then I have some important words for you. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
