a friend of mine just sent me this ceiling mural which is reportedly in some smoking area, whereabouts unknown. i’m reading this book that references an interesting study that correlates with this visual. according to the study, if you want to motivate people to do something, you need to get them to first contemplate their own death. soooo, what do you think? is anyone even out there?? helloooooo?
Hi Kate,
I agree fear can be a significant motivator to get people to act, in this case to quit smoking. The same could be said of getting people to exercise. In my case, I hit the gym because I’m afraid of ending up with a pot bellied stove for a stomach, less so for the vision of a six pack.
However, fear is not a long term motivator. I get complacent when I see myself improving, or frustrated at not seeing results, either way I start to slack off. The same for smokers, which explains the high relapse rate, not to mention the whole addiction to nicotine bit.
While fear can definitely be part of the marketing repertoire, it has to be followed up with positive encouragement for maintaining motivation throughout the long term.
Wouldn’t you agree?
P.S. You’ve added another book to my summer reading list.
Pingback: Does Fear Persuade Or Paralyze? | Turn On Your Marketing