Are you looking for ways to make your marketing campaigns more effective? Using scare tactics is one way marketers can get an emotional response — which, in many cases, leads to action on the part of the consumer.

Let’s take a look at some examples of campaigns that use scare tactics.

DUI Danger Ads

Driving under the influence can result in more than simply having a company like Low Cost Interlock install a breathalyzer in your car. It also means that while you are impaired and behind the wheel, you are putting the lives of other people at risk. Marketers are very good at pointing out the risks and possible destruction of lives that may occur while under the influence.

Campaigns run by the government and non-profit groups demonstrate that people who are convicted may lose their career, their families and harm others. The circumstances usually determine the level of scare tactic involved.

The scenario most often employed is to show the aftermath of a DUI. There may be an accident scene with lots of damage and flashing lights. Ads may show actual accident victims, with an emphasis on small children killed by drunk drivers. These ads are all developed with the desired effect of getting people to not drive while intoxicated.

Anti-Smoking Ads

Government and businesses create ads that focus on quitting smoking and utilize fear to grab your attention. People who are facing death or have been seriously impaired from smoking talk to the camera to warn viewers that this could be them. The shock value is designed to be sufficient enough to keep the viewer watching while frightening enough to make them think that they could be as bad off if they continue to smoke.

Businesses have the added task of pitching a product that viewers will purchase in hopes that it will help them kick the habit. Often these ads will show someone who struggled with their addiction overcoming it to the point where they can now play with their kids or grandchildren. The idea of this approach is that people need to quit now in order to enjoy life while they can.

Ads That Tug at the Heart

Advertising executives are very good at using whatever medium they are working with to elicit an emotional response. They do this through imagery that makes the viewer feel sad for the plight of the subject of the ad while encouraging them to do something about it.

Ads that feature animals and children are especially good at using scare marketing. Animals and children are considered the most vulnerable in society. People who run these campaigns understand that if they can gain sympathy, the organization will receive more money.

In any scare marketing campaign, advertising executives know how to use visualization and time as a way to get people to act. They are usually successful in explaining to people that they need to take action now to either save themselves or something else. The process of using scare tactics is similar, regardless of the cause, since the goals are generally the same.