Advertising and Fear

Fear as an Advertising Tactic Americans are considered to be one of the most highly exposed peoples to commercial advertising in the world. From television (an entertainment medium in which the average adult spends 254 minutes a day engaged), to print media, to internet banner ads, the American consumer culture is kept humming through the often, guerilla tactics of top advertising firms.

Although there have been many concerns about the sheer volume of advertising in all forms of media from as long as it has been in existence, the relatively new and growing trend of using health-related fears to sell products is particularly alarming. It is this trend that Benjamin Radford mentions in his book, Media Mythmakers, that actually "threatens" to manipulate consumers to the detriment of society as a whole.

It seems that the concept of an "informed citizenry" has become almost passe in modern times -- especially when considering areas of health and disease. With all of the varied special interests vying for the transmission of "their version" of the truth, the actual facts can be almost irreversibly obscured. Radford asserts in his book that advertising companies consciously manipulate consumers based on health fears, resulting in "real problems" going unaddressed and wasted resources. Take, for example, the exploding market for "ADHD" medications.

ADHD, short for "attention deficit, hyper-activity disorder," is a fairly new "disorder," that is being labeled onto the nation's children at an alarming rate. Although many consider ADHD to be an authentic disorder in children, the sudden jump in "diagnosis" in the school-aged population gives one pause. According to people like Radford, the magnitude of this jump is due, not to a real health crisis, but as a response to the fear-based advertising that pharmaceutical companies are pushing on consumers on an increasingly wide scale.

All one has to do to notice this trend is to flip through the pages of any mainstream magazine to notice the deluge of ads for ADHD medications. People, Parenting, Time, Newsweek -- even scholarly journals -- including the American Psychological Association Monitor, feature full page, glossy ads touting the benefits of the various treatment medications available to suppress the "debilitating" affects of the disorder.

Indeed, the practice of pharmaceutical marketing of their ADHD drugs has become so widespread that: In fact, in most recent issues of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, a professional research journal directed at physicians and mental health professionals, nearly 50% of the advertising space is devoted to pharmaceutical ads promoting a variety of stimulants and related medications for the treatment of ADHD.

Though there is no law preventing drug companies from advertising medical treatments with potential addictive risks, ADHD appears to be the only condition at this time for which pharmaceutical companies are aggressively marketing such preparations to obtain, maintain or increase market share.

The problem with this, according to Radford in Media Mythmakers, is that the tactic of deluging the media with advertising that triggers the emotional fears of parents (and other consumers), can result in a distortion of reality -- meaning that the overall perception of the depth and breadth of the problem can appear greater than it is.

Although this may not be such a big deal when one is considering the newest tooth-whitening product (presumably to counteract the great yellowing of American toothdom in recent times), when it effects the health and possible misguided medication of children (and adults in other examples), it is particularly disturbing. Indeed, Radford asserts that the "misleading practices" by advertisers is a subject of public concern.

For, "viewers" who do not bother (or are unable) to distinguish between "truth," and ad "word-play," end up buying "the sizzle, not the steak." According to Radford, the problem with advertising does not end with ADHD medication ads. On the contrary, he asserts that advertising and pharmaceutical companies capitalize on one's fear of the entire gamut of health dangers possible to humankind.

One only has to notice the proliferation of new products like "Purell," and "antibacterial soaps," sprays to "sanitize the air," and even the new trend (plugged extensively by the news media), that everyone should be immunized against the flu (whereas, before, it was recommended for a relatively small group). For example, take the seemingly innocent ad for Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair -- where the text screams in all capitol letters, "DO YOU KNOW SKIN CAN BE REPAIRED? -- Without worry .. Without surgery ..

" Heck, it seems pretty compelling, after all, who doesn't want to be "repaired" without worry! However, imagine those same words directed toward the mental health of one's child -- "Do you know we can fix your child?" -- Hey, I'm in! So what, then, can be done about this problem? How can consumers weed through the moneyed hype to get to the real issues? According to Radford, one must ask themselves critical questions, including, "who is speaking or.