Can using a very aggressive fear- or emotion-based message backfire?
For decades, it’s been doom-and-gloom fear messaging that marketers have gravitated towards. While a fear-based message is effective, you can definitely overdo it. I think the point here is not the severity or force behind the message, but more the “hookiness”—how much can you back up your claim? An example: If we were to approach a CIO in today’s environment, and hand them a message like, “Is the C-suite secure in the world of IT?” The reaction to this could be, “Well, what does that mean? These are troubling economic times, but there’s no evidence to suggest there’s greater or less pressure on CIOs to show positive ROI for their organizations.” However, the same argument may not be true of Marketing or Sales; those are typically areas of high pressure in this kind of economic environment. So I like to balance things this way: Think about whether there’s enough credibility behind the claim, and then balance that with the potency you’re putting behind the message. The backfiring is a r
