Terrifying Tips: Digital Advertising Lessons Learned from Scary Movies

Poor decisions are a cliché of horror movies.

"Scream", a blockbuster film by Wes Craven, featured meta commentary on these tropes.Famously, the film outlined a set of rules for surviving horror movies. The most famous being don’t say “I’ll be right back.”

Several of the cliches seen in scary movies don't necessarily apply to digital advertising, but others do.

For your next advertising campaign, here are some horror movie lessons:

Think Critically

Characters who last until the end of a movie are usually those who can accurately assess their situations. As a result of being able to recognize danger, they are better able to analyze the situation and evaluate options. A similar approach pays off in digital advertising. Assess all the information available to you before making any decisions, knowing that not everything is as it seems.

Don’t Go it Alone

One of the most critical lessons from horror films is to stick together. As a group, characters have a much better chance of overcoming the villain than as individuals. Advertising works the same way. By working together, we can share strategies, learn from each other, and combine ideas and strategies to make a much more effective action plan. The same rule applies to campaign phases and channel mix, which perform better when combined rather than isolated.

No shortcuts

It's never a sound idea to take shortcuts when escaping the killer. The character often thinks they are outsmarting the antagonist but is usually foiled at every turn. The same rule applies to campaigns. Shortcuts don't always lead to where you expected. You will often end up backtracking or worse if you take shortcuts.

Equip Yourself

Horror movies require you to even the odds against the villain. It is often the protagonist who gets the upper hand by making use of the resources available to them, whether it is a weapon or a trap. Digital marketers often set up ambitious campaigns without using all the tools available to them. Nothing is more terrifying than seeing a well-planned campaign with excellent creative go live without taking full advantage of its resources