Is marketing based on our fears?

“Does he really have his father’s eyes?”

When I walked by this billboard I knew I had to write about it. I felt both appalled and a bit impressed when I first saw this piece of marketing. They manage to strike at a man’s worst fears with a simple question and a pair of innocent eyes. I’m not sure what is worst; that they are allowed to have these types of commercials or that there is a company that can make their living from only doing paternity tests?

Marketing must be one of the most common types of fiction available to us. And thinking about it, the “fiction writers” in marketing are probably the most well-payed as well. Marketing is about creating stories around a product. Stories that will make me want to buy one brand over another. I am quite ambivalent when it comes to marketing, and there are a lot of marketing that I like and even more I dislike. The ones I like are usually funny or connect to something bigger, but not always.

What is the difference between the commercials I like and the ones I don’t like?