Scaring up Sales Through Marketing Life-Saving Products
The following is excerpted from the outstanding marketing how-to book Marketing Fear for Fun and Profit.
Here’s the Amazon link:
First, how can you convince a potential customer to think that they may die in one of the following ways, and secondly, how can you market your product to be their savior? (Fatality statistics in parentheses).
- Fireworks Discharge (1-in-615,488): Every year in the United States about 10,000 people a year in the U.S. are admitted to hospital emergency rooms.
- Tsunami (1-in-500,000): Yep, the Big Kahuna of waves itself. Maybe not so much the U.S. but the global market is listening.
- Dog Attack (1-in-147,717): Bad dog! Bad dog! Stats show that just behind your fellow humankind snuffing you out is a little puppy just waiting to get the biggest kibble of his doggy life.
- Earthquake (1-in-131,890): California residents – hello?!?
- Snake, Bee or Venomous Bite (1-in-100,000): 50 people a year die in the U.S. alone every year. I say a Bzzz Bzzz Bzzz!
- Lightning Strike (1-in-83,930): Shocking! Yeah, I know, that was pretty bad.
- Tornado (1-in-60,000): Auntie Em! Auntie Em!
- Legal Execution (1-in-58,618): Bad Boys, Bad Boys…
- Flood (1-in-30,000): If you see a boat delivering the mail you’re in trouble.
- Air Travel (1-in-20,000): Make sure your frequent flyer miles are in the Living Trust.
- Drowning (1-in-8,942): The World Health Organization says that drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional death worldwide. Do you have the arm floaties to save humanity?
- Electrocution (1-in-5,000): Shocking! Sorry, flogging a dead horse of a joke.
- Bike Accident (1-in-4,717): I don’t want to ride my bicycle…
- Natural Forces (1-in-3,357): The wrath of God. Flood, earthquake, lightning or your girlfriend’s mother’s beef stroganoff. Equally deadly.
- Fire or Smoke (1-in-1,116)
- Shot by Firearm (1-in-325): Rat-a-tat-tat. Murder capital unless you’re protected with our product.
- Falling Down (1-in-246): One of the best fear-based marketing ads in history: “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up.” There’s a reason why it’s still selling after decades.
- Suicide (1-in-121): Hit the pre-emptive solution marketing answer. Look for signs, etc. Every 40 seconds someone somewhere kills themselves. Be the solution.
- Motor Vehicle Accident (1-in-100): Look twice before proceeding.
- Personal Accidents (1-in-36): Watch that banana peel. This is a very fertile ground for problem solving products.
- Stroke (1-in-23): Your lifestyle changing product solutions to the rescue? Watch that second helping of red meat.
- Cancer (1-in-7): See the Truth.com marketing campaign for successful hints on marketing that works.
- Heart Disease (1-in-5): See Stroke above.
Everyone, everywhere is concerned about death.
How can you create and market a product to be their savior?