How fear-appeal advertising works

In 1989, Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC) launched its first ad. It was shot in a gritty documentary style as we followed the story of a young male drink driver who caused horrific injuries to his girlfriend.

It is graphic, it is raw, it is heart-wrenching – we see the injuries of the girlfriend, we hear the doctor tell the girlfriend’s parents that she might lose her leg, we see the rage of the parents as they see the boyfriend, and we hear those now iconic words for the first time: “If you drink then drive, you’re a bloody idiot”.

The TAC says their internal research points to the efficacy of their fear appeal advertisements and that it is about designing the ad with the right “fear” for the audience they are targeting.

This is another crucial component of the fear appeal – is it the fear of injuring your girlfriend or the fear of getting caught? Is it the fear of something that might happen now or the fear of something that might happen 10 or 20 years down the track? Getting that right is just as important as ensuring you have both the impact and the action plan covered.

It’s not about a one-size-fits-all approach with this style of advertising – it’s about having an insight and a detailed understanding of your target market so that you can make an ad that stops them in their tracks and they say “wow, that’s me…”. And that is easier said than done.

Fear appeals can’t solve everything, but when done well they are an important part of any public health initiative.

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