Trick or treat? Why fear-based campaigns can spook audiences
Fear can be a potent attention-grabber. But when it comes to effective campaigns, attention doesn’t always translate to persuasion.
It can be tempting for comms teams to ring the alarm when it comes to the big stuff: climate change, AI, the cost of living crisis. This approach risks turning people off altogether. If your messaging is designed to frighten without giving audiences the option to act, it can trigger denial, disengagement, or even anger.
Put bluntly, a scary headline or shocking social media post might win short-term clicks but it can cost long-term credibility.
Why scare tactics can backfire in comms
Decades of research show that fear can change attitudes and intentions only when paired with credible, feasible actions that audiences can take. Stick with us for the science-y bit.
The Extended Parallel Process Model is a theory in risk communication that explains how people respond to fear-inducing messages. If they believe the threat is real and they can do something about it, they focus on solving the problem. But if they feel powerless, they focus instead on managing their fear by denying, avoiding, or downplaying the message.
In practice, that means a scare without a solution is unlikely to lead to behavioural change.
Climate change: the ultimate boogeyman
When it comes to ‘big bads’, there’s little that compares to climate change. The impact is already devastating, and the clock is ticking on workable solutions to a global problem.
For years, campaigns have relied on doom-laden imagery to galvanise audiences: burning forests, melting ice caps, polar bears stranded on shrinking floes. It’s an understandable angle to take, but is it really effective?
Behavioural research shows that constant fear messaging can actually paralyse audiences. People might click away feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or powerless. Over time, they tune out. After all, no one wants to live in a constant state of despair.
On the flip side, hope-driven messaging invites participation. Stories that centre real people and places are often more relatable than abstract data. Case studies that highlight resilience, progress and adaptation, can turn anxiety – or apathy – about climate change into action.
Is AI an existential threat or a tech revolution?
AI is another monster-under-the-bed for comms teams. The technology is powerful, fast-moving, and undeniably a bit unsettling.
It’s certainly a cause for concern when it comes to education and the job market. At Distinctive, we’ve also written about the risks to high-quality, original content that reliance on LLM’s could produce. But there’s no denying that AI is here to stay.
How can businesses acknowledge the value of the human touch without looking like tech luddites? By taking an in-the-round rather than alarmist approach. Question the limits of AI and celebrate the things that it can’t replicate, but highlight the benefits of outsourcing certain tasks.
Sometimes turning on the light can be enough to banish fear of the unknown. In the case of AI, this means transparency and clarity. Including AI in comms strategies, exploring its limits and opportunities in think pieces, and creating a clear AI policy can allow teams to stay in control of the narrative.
Are politicians leaning away from fear-based messaging?
The rise (and rise) of Zack Polanski over the past month has been a lesson in effective political campaigning. Unlike other parties, the Greens have focused on the positive effects of migration and diversity within the UK. This message is clearly finding an audience; membership of the party has doubled since Polanski was elected leader.
Whether this translates into votes remains to be seen, but it’s a sign that political campaigns based purely on fear – of immigration, of national decline, or of a nebulous future threat – will inevitably hit a brick wall. The left can be as guilty of this as the right – just look at Project Fear in the run-up to the Brexit vote.
People want things to get better, but they also want a reason to feel hopeful. By building a message of dogged optimism, Polanski can reach an audience sick of the status quo but unhappy with the fear-based campaigning that has dominated politics over the past decade.
Make comms purposeful rather than fearful
When it comes to campaigning, a milquetoast message probably isn’t going to move the dial. It’s easy to see why comms teams sometimes use scare tactics to win short-term attention.
At Distinctive, we don’t think you have to frighten people to make them care. The most effective campaigns are those that make audiences feel informed, empowered, and inspired to act.
Comms and PR campaigns should be purposeful. Often this means tapping into human emotions – but these don’t have to be fear-based. Positive emotions encourage participation and build trust, which are essential for long-term engagement.
By offering clear, simple actions, using scary stats sparingly, and pairing urgency with agency, comms agencies can thrill – rather than chill – the people they want to reach.
Photo by Studio Romantic on Shutterstock.
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