If you are sitting on your couch and you see breaking news that a tornado is headed your way, you would probably be jolted into action and quickly run to the store to stock up on supplies. When you’re in a state of fear, you want to eliminate it in any way that you can. Buying things can sometimes do that; fear in advertising captures a sliver of that jolt of fear to make you purchase, and it’s nothing new.
The origins of this strategy are typically pinpointed to a 1950s Listerine ad for mouthwash. Prior to that point in time, the market for mouthwash simply didn’t exist. Bad breath was what it was—something that was taken care of with regular flossing and brushing, and there was no stigma surrounding it. Like many things, it was just an aspect of being a human being and wasn’t thought to be particularly important one way or the other.
Newton Media Group 