More followers, disciples, meme virality, unique visitors and ultimately sales profits (where customers purchase your service, your newsletter or your product) can be generated, generally speaking, by fear of loss than by an opportunity to gain. It's behavioral psychology 101.
Fear produces an immediate, defensive call to action, while the opportunity for gain (which may require an investment of effort, time or funds) tends to be less compelling -- laziness, tight finances, and an institutionalized endemic lack of driving ambition make opportunity more optional.
In putting together an ad campaign, you may optimize your results by combining both elements of fear and opportunity, or as they say in Colombia (the country and not the university, which is spelled C-o-l-u-m-b-i-a), "Plata o plomo" -- silver or lead.
Stansberry Associates, an investment advisory service, publisher and terrific promoter, is a source I look at for some insights into The Global Futurist Blog, when I decide to speak of doomsday scenarios, negative selling and self-fulfilling prophesies. While I don't offer investment or financial advice, and while I don't agree with or endorse Stansberry's investment strategies or his picture of the future, you'll absolutely enjoy his video:
Just click on the link which follows, and come back to The Mad Marketing Tactics Blog when you've finished, and had an opportunity to take your antacid of choice, or your grandmother's anti-anxiety pills [kidding. don't do this. it's illegal. and the expiry date is sometimes close to the time of the Korean War]:
http://pro.stansberryresearch.com/1206CORRUPTN/LPSIN707/
Getting the mixture into your messaging can be challenging. The lure is fear, and a need for defense -- the opportunity is the 'solution' or 'cure,' combined with a chance for rapid, easy, relatively inexpensive (in terms of the value proposition) gain. At the risk of sounding a bit crude, its a bit of the traditional tactic of 'bait and switch,' but done with much more legitimacy and subtlety. In this way, your brand won't be tarnished, and you will avoid a reputation as a sneak.
Fear commands attention, acts as a motivator and opens doors -- but without either a good product or value-added service to address the fear, or a wonderful opportunity to gleaned by cozying up to your brand, you will look like a 'quick buck artist'. My mother doesn't like that. Neither do most people.
The artful use of fear combined with a solution and an opportunity for true gain are elements for a good branding and marketing campaign. Capische?
Douglas E. Castle
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