Emotional Marketing: Using Social Taboos, Embarrassment and Fear

The use of intense emotions in marketing campaigns is not unusual. This case illustrates the use of negative emotions in advertising in order to decrease competition and enable prices to increase. It examines examples in two common emotional contexts-embarrassment and fear-reviewing ads promoting funerals, public service campaigns, mouthwash, diapers, and infant formula. Substantial issues about emotional marketing concern whether it is moral and whether it is deceptive. The case includes discussion of social taboos and, as such, may upset the sensibilities of some students, although this is not the author's intention. Please note that the phenomenon of social taboos creating such sensibility is precisely the basis of higher prices and the learning value of this case.