Marketers have been using fear in advertising and marketing for literally ever. After all, fear is a powerful motivator that can create a sense of urgency and drive consumers into action—fast! It taps into our basic human survival instincts, and triggers a fight-or-flight response.

The problem is that, when used improperly, fear based marketing more often triggers the “flight” than the “fight” response, and that’s not great for business.

One of the biggest problems with fear based marketing is that companies often take it too far. They go to the furthest extremes, which is overwhelming at best, and downright misleading or dishonest at worst.

Another major problem with using fear in marketing is the damage you could cause to your own reputation. If your messaging is causing consumers to feel anxious and afraid, there’s a good chance they’re going to associate those feelings with your brand. I don’t know about you, but when people think “Birdhouse Marketing & Design” I do NOT want them to think “anxious and afraid.” Chances are you feel the same way about your own brand image.

Now, let’s consider all of these “tariffs are coming” ads. It’s not an over-exaggeration, necessarily. It’s that you’re dragging your brand into the middle of a topic that has been highly politicized within an increasingly divided nation of consumers. Looking through the comments sections of a few of these ads, there are basically two different schools of thought here:

1. The “You-Suck-Because-You’re-Not-Manufacturing-Your-Product-in-America” crowd

2. The “You-Suck-For-Taking-Advantage-of-an-Economic-Crisis-to-Make-a-Quick-Buck” crowd

Basically, these ads are pissing off both sides…and neither is buying into the fear.

Fear based marketing has its place, and can actually be quite effective…when used properly.

I mentioned earlier that I’m a focus-on-the-solution kinda marketer. Well, apparently me and everybody else. Only 2% of ads are negative in nature, which means—if you can nail the negativity just right—your ad could cut through the clutter and really stand out. Tests have shown that using fear in advertising can pay off with higher click-through and conversion rates, but for this strategy to pan out for you, you have to follow these steps carefully:

1. Gather consumer insight. Every audience will respond differently to fear based marketing. It’s crucial to do some market research and find your target audience’s specific fears, pain points, and motivators.

2. Dial in your messaging. With a solid foundation of market research, it’s time to start crafting messages that address your audience’s fears and motivators. Don’t invent new fears (beauty companies, I’m looking at you…). Focus on real and present fears that underlie your target audience’s decision-making process.

3. Don’t get all melodramatic. You want your language and imagery to evoke a subtle sense of anxiety, but don’t lay it on too thick.

4. Include statistics and facts. Back up your messaging with credible sources (and yes, I know that half of the country doesn’t believe in statistics and facts…but do your best).

5. Offer a solution. Make sure you have a clear and compelling call-to-action that promises to alleviate the fear you’re playing up.

Try to keep it as light as you can with fear based marketing. For example, the tariffs—or anything that is divisive or overly politicized—are probably not the place for fear based marketing. But playing into the fear of missing out on a special offer or limited time promotion is perfectly reasonable. Likewise, if you have a product that improves someone’s health, safety, or security, playing into your audience’s underlying fears is fair game.

And, as with anything in business or marketing (or life), keep it ethical. Make sure your claims are grounded in truth, avoid over-exaggeration, offer a clear solution, and—at all costs—avoid exploiting vulnerable people and situations in a way that could trigger too much anxiety or overwhelm.

There’s more than one way to make an impact on your audience. These alternative approaches to marketing may be better for your message and brand:

1. Empathy-based marketing. Hear me out. I know this is “radical” thinking. But. What if you addressed consumer fears and anxieties in a compassionate and understanding way? This is 100% the approach to take if you want to lean into anything even remotely political.

2. Solution-focused marketing. My favorite. Keeping it positive! On the flip side of every consumer fear and anxiety is a hope or a dream. Tap into THAT. Show consumers how good life could be like with your product or service, rather than how bad it could be without it.

3. Education-based marketing. This is exactly what it sounds like: provide your target audience with education that will inform a decision (hopefully in your brand’s favor). This is a great way to position your business as a thought leader and subject-matter expert.

4. Humor-based marketing: This is a tricky one, because you really need to lean into humor for this strategy to work. No half-assing it, you gotta go full send with the funny—and that can be scary, since humor is often offensive or irreverent. Done right, this strategy can result in memorable marketing that encourages consumers to associate positive feelings with your brand. Done wrong, it’s just a big marketing belly flop.