I have an ongoing debate with a client who says we should never, ever take a negative approach in his advertising. He believes that fear of loss — or any hint of trouble — should not be part of his brand narrative.
The debate’s been going on for years, and at this point we just agree to disagree.
However, as the Creative Director on his account, it’s my job to make sure he sees all our strongest ideas. So I’ll continue to present a “negative” ad occasionally, even if I know he’s just going to kill it.
Let me be very clear… I’m not referring to trash talking ads or throwing shade on the competition.
I’m talking about using the fear of loss in honest, problem-oriented advertising that touches on deep-seated emotions that make people stop, notice and actually click or buy.
If it's all pretty pictures and happy-go-lucky outcomes all the time, eventually no one's going to believe you.
Authenticity is crucial these days. Focusing on the problem occasionally makes you more credible. It shows that you understand the prospect's problem and makes your brand more authentic.
Look at this way: Great ads tell a story. Doesn't matter if it’s in a 3-minute video format, print ad format, or social media format, it needs to have elements of a good story. And stories always include a villain or a problem.
Without a problem you have no meaningful solution.
Without conflict there’s no resolution.
Without a villain you have no hero.
Without trouble you have no story — just a pretty picture and a headline with no meat.
Donald Miller, in his best-seller “Building a Brand Story” talks about the challenge companies have when it comes to pointing out the downside of NOT buying a particular product or service.
“Clients don’t want to be fearmongers, but fearmongering is not the problem that 99% of business leaders struggle with. It’s just the opposite… they don’t bring up the negative stakes often enough, and their story ends up falling flat.”
Miller points out that you probably don’t want to build an entire campaign using the negative approach, and I agree with him in this case. But different angles of attack are always worth looking at.
If you ignore the back door angle of attack you’re missing at least 50% of the possible creative solutions to any ad. So you’ll never know what might have been.
As a writer and advertising creative I was always taught to turn things around and look at problems from a different perspective. That training that has served me well, not just on creative assignments, but in all aspects of business.
As advertising great Alex Bogusky says, "First you have to think big. Really, really big. Then you have to sit back, turn it around, and think of all the ways you're not thinking big enough."
There are plenty of very successful brands that have done that, and built campaigns from an opposing angle of attack.
Just look at the non-profit world... they always sell the problem in order to raise funds for their solution.
The World Wildlife Fund paints a clear, creative picture of what climate change might mean to people.
PETA shows nothing but pathetic, sad looking animals, and they raise millions every year.
St Jude's Children's Hospital raises millions through their PGA tour affiliation, and they feature kids in their ads that didn't make it!
And how about that groundbreaking Allstate Insurance campaign...
The Mayhem Man campaign revolves entirely around the problem — the potential mayhem that might befall us. It’s a brilliant campaign that attacks the boring subject of insurance in a memorable, albeit “negative” fashion. They give the villain a face and paint a dramatic, lighthearted picture of what's at stake.
It’s way more compelling than any ads showing what a wonderful, rosey life we’ll lead because of our Allstate insurance policy.
Here’s another example of the fear of loss approach from BN Branding’s portfolio.
When we helped launch the Worx Wedge we talked to a lot of golfers about their use of a sand wedge, their attitudes toward golf product marketing, and the challenges they face around the greens.
The insight from those discussions came through loud and clear… the average golfer has a completely irrational level of fear when it comes to sand traps.
To them, the potential embarrassment of being stuck in a bunker is much more poignant than any positive message of hope that we might employ.
So instead of promising them roses and lower scores, we attacked the problem head on.
Fear Not.
There’s a story in these simple, two word ads… We acknowledge their fear, show that it is not unfounded, and position the Worx Wedge as the tool they need to conquer it.
Psychologists and neuroscientists have actually conducted quite a bit of conclusive research on the persuasive power of the loss-aversion pitch. Turns out, the fear of loss is often more powerful than the hope of gain.
Clifford Nass, a professor of communication at Stanford University says "Negative emotions generally involve more thinking, and the information is processed more thoroughly than positive ones, he said. Thus, we tend to ruminate more about unpleasant events — and use stronger words to describe them — than happy ones."
Golfers may forget all the routine pars they make during a bucket list trip to St. Andrews, but they never forget the experience of being stuck in a pot bunker.
In advertising there are market realities to consider, as well.
The golf industry is riddled with overblown promises of more distance and life-changing improvement. All the claims sound the same, and all the clubs perform equally well for the average golfer.
Sometimes, when you're dealing with a me-too product in a crowded category, focusing on what the product is NOT is the better strategy, by far.
Let everyone else tout the generic product category benefits and attempt to position themselves as the hero, while you focus on the problem and let the customer be the hero in the story.
There are really only two possible outcomes for any advertising story... customers either gain something, or they lose something. Advertising your product or service as a way to avoid that loss really can work.
You just can't be afraid of the fear of loss.
If you run a golf operation, or if you own a golf product company, give us a call. Tee it up with us and we'll find birdie opportunities you never imagined. Call John at 541-815-0075.
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