A radio commercial caught my immediate attention. “There is one burglary every 22 minutes reported in your area. So safeguard your home with our anti burglary system.” Though I was sure I had locked my home and the security system was ON, the first emotion that it created in my mind was fear. 

More than a decade ago, when I was working with a friend on making a brochure for a fire safety equipment company we had some unforgettable experiences. We were browsing through photographs and articles on the fire outbreaks in and around the city, to include in the brochure. We had to write about how this company’s products could help prevent it. 

It was devastating to look at the photographs of people and property affected by fire. We were cringing throughout the project. When we showed the draft brochure to the owner of the company, he was so happy. He looked at the images and kept saying, “Oh! This is beautiful.”  Those scary pictures would eventually help him sell his products. 

I understand, it is important to take the necessary safety precautions. It is important for organizations working in that domain to discuss and elaborate the problems that they are trying to find a solution for. It is also important that the customers make an educated choice of products based on the facts provided by the companies selling those products. 

My problem is only with the emotion of fear and anxiety that these commercials and brochures bring about. On a beautiful spring morning, when I was dropping off my kids to school and was looking forward to the day, that radio commercial did have an impact on me. A negative impact.

Fear is a feeling induced by perceived danger or threat that occurs in certain types of organisms, which causes a change in metabolic and organ functions and ultimately a change in behavior, such as fleeing, hiding, or freezing from perceived traumatic events. 

Fear in human beings may occur in response to a certain stimulus occurring in the present, or in anticipation or expectation of a future threat perceived as a risk to body or life.

There are  innumerable industries that survive by feeding us fear. Security, Wellness, Insurance, Baby Products, all of them make big bucks by selling fear. 

As self contradictory and paradoxical it might seem to be, fear of god is one of the fears faced by human beings. Though, some of the religious texts describe this fear as “the convergence of awe, reverence, adoration, honor, worship, confidence, thankfulness and  love” ,, the (sad) fact remains that religion thrives on fear. 

Like Roosevelt famously pointed, “The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is,  Fear Itself”. 

However, It is important to assess dangers and risks and take the necessary precautions. The radio commercial about anti burglary system that I would have preferred to hear would have been one that encouraged me to buy it without threatening me. 

This article:  “Your Marketing Should Inspire, Not Scare” , puts it appropriately: 

 Emphasize the benefits the customer will receive from your product, instead of the detriment to them if they don’t buy it. In the insurance sector, the message is often about what you stand to lose if you don’t have the right coverage. A better approach might be to focus on how taking the right risks can move the business forward, when you protect yourself against the risks you cannot control.

The anti nicotine campaign  which emphasizes on the harmful effects of nicotine on the development of teen brains, also  keeps repeating on the radio. This always gets a thumbs-up from me. I wouldn’t want to categorize this and the anti burglary system advertisement in the same category: that of fear driven decisions. 

My issue is with the way fear is being injected into us in doses unknown, day in and day out.

Please follow and like us: