Emotional Branding in Association with Fear

And how it can change the way you see the world

The topic of guns, violence, and Americans’ rights to bear arms is not a new one, but in recent years it seems to have grown even more relevant, more political, and more opinionated than ever before.

Chances are you will get a wide variety of opinions on the topic depending on which part of the country you live and often times the political party you align yourself with. Each side can toss up reasons to limit or fight for the right to own a gun and the limitations it should take to acquire one.

On one side, you have people wanting to ban certain types of guns while also making it harder for guns to fall into the wrong hands. On the other, you have people that believe any infringement on their rights to bear arms is unthinkable.

It’s a tough conversation, with no easy answers to satisfy both sides. But I would be lying if I said the following PSA I came across today didn’t have me looking at this topic with a completely new set of eyes.

It is hard to deny the emotional impact of this PSA. And while I am tempted to simply dismiss it as an attempt to use this little girl to insight fear, I would be lying if I said it didn’t do just that, and in turn, make me re-think the subject all together.

As we have stated time and time again, branding is about emotional connections, and the emotional connections on this particular subject are very deep-seeded.

As someone who grew up in the South hunting and having guns in the house, it would be easy for me to be on the side of the NRA – with a healthy fear that once the government starts to eat at our rights, there will be no turning back. It would also be easy to point out that there are already laws on the books that are meant to protect us from the unlawful use of guns. I mean, if people were insane enough to go on a killing spree, wouldn’t they find a way to do it with or without a gun?

Then there is the parent in me. The father of four kids that hopes and prays that their children never find themselves hidden beneath a desk as shots fire from down the hall of their school.

Whatever the case, those who want to sway an opinion one way or the other are going to play on the emotions of its viewers, readers, etc. If you want your brand to stand out, forming connections that elicit an emotional response will certainly make you memorable in the eyes of your audience.

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