Spooky Scary Advertising: How Fear Makes the Most Effective Ad Campaigns

Comfort, engagement, pleasant impressions – we’re used to ads being built on positive emotions. After all, you’re selling the user the object of desire, something that they should lust and crave for. Isn’t that the whole point?

Well, there are “alternative” ways to reach the person’s heart, and one of the most effective is fear. For our Halloween special, let’s dissect what fear is, how it’s used in non-advertising messages, and how marketers use the power of terror to sell their goods and services. Hop on; the spooky train departs now!

The Psychology Behind Fear

Merriam-Webster defines fear as “an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.”

Basically, it’s a primal emotion that evokes a biochemical response. Sweating, increased heart rate, and extreme alertness – all of these are signals from our monkey brains that we shouldn’t walk empty alleys at night, go 200mph on the highway, or provoke the dudes with AK-47s to pull the trigger. 

Although there’s still much to learn about this response, scientists have long ago dissected that fear is a full-body experience that’s launched by the amygdala – the small part of our brain that increases the secretion of cortisol and adrenaline. The latter causes a rush of dopamine and endorphins. And if you know a thing about biochemistry, you already know how it can be utilized.

You see, just like most of our natural emotions, there are many layers to fear, from phobias to constant anxiety and PTSR. But, as marketers and artists, we don’t really need to use all of that. To put it simply, there are bad and good types of fear. The “bad” fear comes when we’re in real danger, while the “good” is when we’re safe but are still stimulated by something scary.

The “good” fear is that sweet dopamine hit we experience from playing Silent Hill 2, watching The Saw, and celebrating Halloween. It’s not the Pyramid Head that causes pleasure, but the fact that we shoot the damn thing in the head, watch the Alien burn in flames, or exit the haunted house.

Moreover, the pleasant sensation is akin to sexual arousal, great accomplishment, or simply “feeling alive.” A healthy fear diet is beneficial for our psyche, that’s why there’s nothing amoral about using it in mass media.

History of Using Fear to Bring a Message

As you’ve probably deduced, marketers weren’t the first to discover the potential of fear. Of course, the government propaganda arrived at the party much earlier. Let’s look at some examples:

World War II - Anti-Axis Posters

The classic World War II propaganda hits the mark perfectly. Hitler and the Nazis are described as the ultimate menace for US folk to motivate production and informational silence. As we know today, the fear factor in these posters worked just perfectly.

Anti-Smoking Campaigns

The first examples of fear-based campaigns didn’t try to sell you something; instead, they used this emotion in a more obvious way – to stop you. Smokers never listen to warnings about well-being, but the appeal to being broke because of cigs could just work for somebody.

Soviet Atheist Propaganda

It’s horrifying to think, but our country used to be a part of the Soviet Union for many decades. This communistic abomination is known for using aggressive propaganda, but their attempt to cancel religion was truly furious. 

Why do this? Trust us, it’s not because of science but because the soviet person should only worship Stalin and Lenin. 

The 4 Types of Fear that Can Be Used in Advertising

Now that was truly terrifying, let’s proceed to less hardcore stuff. Generally, marketers utilize four types of fear in their campaigns. These are:

1. Fear of missing out

Remember when everyone in middle school had some shiny new thing, like a phone, sneakers, or fidget spinner, but you didn’t? The fear of missing out spreads its roots deep in our memories, and it’s no wonder why advertisers use it so frequently.

You know what we’re talking about. It’s the same feeling when your favorite shop offers a limited-time discount. You don’t really need it, but the fear of missing out makes you commit a purchase. 

Among other socially acceptable fear types, this one’s the most vanilla. Most likely, you’ve noticed the pattern before. Even Apple utilizes this tactic by creating an artificial deficit in their phones to reward the buyer with a sense of exclusivity once they do make a purchase.

2. Fear of societal rejection

Let’s get deeper! Everyone wants to belong and be accepted. Like it or not, that’s part of what makes us human. You know that I know that, and most importantly, advertisers know that.

Now, the recipe for this one’s pretty simple. 

1 - Take the consumer’s problem that they are uncomfortable talking out loud of.

2 - Highlight and exaggerate the problem in your ad.

3 - Create the solution – your product.

4 - Show how much better the world is with your solution and without the problem.

It’s the balancing act that makes utilizing this fear tactic challenging. You can’t just shame the consumer for having bad teeth or wrinkles, but you can’t create an image of these being normal. 

The best ads hit this spot perfectly; while watching them, the potential buyer doesn’t get shamed too much but gets the motivation to get accepted and loved by buying the product.

3. Fear of personal safety

This one’s a bit on the surface, but it reaches everyone.

Even if you aren’t afraid of anything yourself, you probably have a family, house pets, or friends that you do care about and would like to keep out of harm’s way. 

In this case, marketers create a sense of vulnerability in our routine lives. They pull out our subconscious fears that we try not to pay attention to. “What if I crash my car into a tree?” “What if my elderly mother gets a stroke while I’m not at home?” “What if my dog gets bit by a tick?”

Our neurotic readers are probably nodding in agreement – this stuff gets in the head, at least sometimes. Once you’re hooked, it’s easy for the marketer. They emphasize how their product could prevent the worst-case scenario and persuade you to take action.

4. Fear of the future

Being afraid of the future isn’t as sharp and immediate as other types of fears, but it is far more deep. Humans were always fearful of the unknown, and the future would always hang above our heads like the sword of Damocles. 

The usage tactic is very similar to what we had in the fear of personal safety section. You could even argue that both of these are the same fear. But there’s still a distinct line between them.

The difference is that the object of fear has to be a rather wide and abstract concept: environmental apocalypse, wars, or financial security. Everyone who’s had at least a small taste of these will try to prevent them and is more susceptible to fear-based advertising.

4 Cases of Ad Campaigns Based on Fear

We could’ve just slapped the most successful ad campaigns that use fear, but that wouldn’t be fun at all. Instead, let’s look at some of the most peculiar cases and analyze what they did right and wrong so you can learn from them and make your own conclusions.

LinkedIn does a crappy job embedding YouTube videos, so we’ll have to ask you to watch each of these yourself (we’ll link them ofc). 

Taco Bell – Web of Fries  [Fear of Missing Out]

A family man (Josh Duhamel) inquires why Taco Bell doesn’t serve fries, but finds he’s bitten off more than he can chew when a sinister “Big Fries” conspiracy threatens to destroy everything he holds dear. 

Fear of missing out on advertising is usually the most boring kind. Supreme’s “limited” drops, Apple’s “limited” stock, or Black Friday’s “limited” deals – if you’re a seasoned shopaholic, you probably don’t care about these anymore.

That’s why Taco Bell’s “Web of Fries” is so interesting. It doesn’t expect you to obsess over “limited” fries; instead, it creates a surreal banger that subverts the tropes of a classical thriller and engages you in almost a movie trailer. 

What would otherwise be a thrilling (he-he) and spooky experience turns into quite a comic relief because the main theme is bloody potato fries. 

Volvo – The Ultimate Safety Test [Fear of the Future]

I’ll be honest with you: I dislike electric cars. They’re more like furniture to me than pieces of machinery requiring respect and admiration. Plus, if you dig deep enough, you discover that the production of electric vehicles harms nature even more than standard auto-making, so what’s the point?

However, when ad geniuses put their minds to environmental problems, even I think – What If? Everybody knows that “Volvo is the safest car”; we’ve been fed this concept from our TV screens since childhood. This ad subverts the expectations of another crash test, instead making us aware that the biggest danger is not the road accidents, but environmental pollution. 

It's kind of a meh message, but the ad is great nonetheless.

Budweiser – Someone Waits For You at Home [Fear of Personal Safety]

Yes, another mix of “buy our product” + “stay aware of societal problems.” What can we say? As mentioned above, there’s no better way to use fear than to remind you of the most routine of dangers.

This peculiar ad is interesting because of several reasons:

1 - it uses the dog to motivate responsibility. Let’s be frank: Bud’s average audience wouldn’t pay attention to yet another boring “Don’t Drink and Drive” ad. Instead, the dog becomes a symbol of why you shouldn’t do that.

2 - it failed lmao.

Maybe “fail” is a bit of a strong word, but it didn’t gather as much attention as other Bud’s ads. Why? It’s hard to say at first glance. You see, Bud has a long history of using dogs for the main role in their campaigns.

Judging from 2024, it probably failed to reach the audience because of a tonal mismatch. The audience was used to a more symbolic meaning, while this one was simply too much “in your face” kind of ad. It lacked the enjoyment factor and focused more on a social aspect instead of promoting actual beer. Just look at Bud’s far more successful “Lost Dog” ad, and you’ll get what we’re on.

Head & Shoulders: I Don't [Fear of Societal Rejection]

Now, this one hits the mark perfectly. The whole branding image of Head & Shoulders is about how having dandruff sucks and how using their shampoo solves this problem.

It does just about everything we’ve described in the formula. The ad acknowledges societal rejection of having dandruff while not shaming those who have it. It creates both routine and abnormal scary situations that highlight how Head & Shoulders could solve them.

Overall, almost “A+ work!” Maybe just a bit too good and too little fear-flavored, and thus a little boring.

Trick or Treat!

As you can see, these days, fear-based advertising isn’t as hardcore as it used to be in the 1950s. Instead, spooks can be used to amp up your message and make the ad slightly more interesting. Now, for the final piece of advice:

• Don’t be dull with your spooks!
• Make sure it stays relevant to your audience's desires!
• Don’t be too hard with your spooky campaigns!
• Don’t be afraid to use a healthy dosage of fear!

Happy Halloween, dear subscribers; stay brave, and stay tuned for more content to come!