That question was the basis for a recent study from the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. The study, which was published in the Journal of Consumer Research, revealed that consumers experiencing fear while watching a film feel a greater affiliation with a present brand than those who watch films evoking happiness, sadness, or excitement.
JoAndrea Hoegg, Assistant Professor, Marketing at University of British Columbia, explained the premise and conclusions gleaned from the study.
“The theory in the paper is that when we are afraid, we want to share that experience with others and when others are not present, we can successfully share that experience with an available brand,” Hoegg said. “So, I would, like you, speculate that if the lights were out and I was afraid, the fact that the brand of flashlight was there with me during the experience might be enough for me to feel more emotionally attached even after the lights came back on.”
What’s more, the study showed there is potential for a brand−whether it’s a consumer product or a non-consumer product−to fulfill consumers’ needs.
Hoegg explained that study participants didn't need to touch or physically consume the product to show higher emotional brand attachment after a fear experience. Instead, the brands could simply be present and consumers would still show higher attachment.
Given the nature of the study, Hoegg said it’s difficult to generalize about how brands can use this type of fear marketing in their campaigns, and it wouldn’t be something that would be beneficial to all types of brands.
“No one had studied fear in this context,” Hoegg said. “It’s kind of an intuitive concept. There is a bonding people go through during a terrifying experience like a horror movie or in real life with Hurricane Katrina or when the World Trade Center Towers were attacked. What we found was relative to watching a happy movie, or an action movie, you get higher attachment to a brand through horror movies. These products were in the room, but people weren’t necessarily touching them.”
Fear has multiple dimensions, Hoegg said.
“There is an element of arousal, uncertainty, and a lack of control,” she said. “When you experience fear, there will be heightened attention to the surroundings, more attention to surrounding space, and more attention to the object with you in the room.”
Hoegg said psychological studies show people can interact with brands as they do with each other.
“During the experience of watching a horror film is the perception that you and the brand shared the experience together and the whole idea of human bonding. We didn’t see any difference in how afraid people felt whether the brand was there in the room or not.”
How can brands use this?
Hoegg said the study was theoretical and largely lab-based.
“You don’t want to terrify your customers,” she said.
Certain brands, like OnStar, could take advantage of this type of fear marketing approach, Hoegg said.
“When someone is in an accident, when OnStar connects with them, they’re able to share the experience with them and it should raise heightened loyalty for the OnStar brand,” she said.
But Hoegg noted there is a limited set of potential brands that could employ fear marketing.
“It’s all about this notion of they’re sharing the experience with them, and a heightened awareness,” she said. “Our biggest surprise was it was actually stronger than the positive emotions. We thought fear would do something that sadness doesn’t. But we didn’t think it would be stronger than going through a positive emotion. There seems to be something real there.”