Anxiety
Ads and videos written to this emotion: 290. 189 make the Say move, 47 make the Avoid mistake.
The Emotion Map's entry, written for B2B buyers.
What it is
Tense, unsettled feelings about an uncertain future, with no single clear threat.
Where it shows up
A first launch, a new market, a first real marketing hire.
Sounds like
"We don't know what we don't know."
Say
Make the unknown visible: what will be measured, when, and what happens if it fails.
Avoid
Reassurance without detail. "Don't worry" leaves the uncertainty where it was.
In consumer ads
Say: Make the unknown visible: what happens after the purchase, when, and what the buyer can do if it does not work, such as a stated return or refund.
Avoid: Reassurance without detail. Telling the reader not to worry leaves the uncertainty where it was.
Doing it right
Ads that make the Say move.
Al Rajhi Bank: Lite card waives withdrawal and international fees
The word relax sits beside a giant 0% carrying three notes that name which fees vanish: issuance and renewal, international transactions, cash withdrawal, so the reassurance comes with its detail.
Agency house ad on brake testing: Will Your Car Do This?
'Will your car do this?' raises a doubt about the reader's own brakes, then the Thermoid chart makes it checkable: stopping distances from 9.2 feet at 10 miles an hour to 333 at 60.
Misr General Insurance Company ad, al-Ithnayn wa al-Dunya 1940
Against the war worries of 1940 it prints paid-up capital of 200,000 pounds and reserves of 325,790, and says all its funds stay invested inside Egypt.
Jordan Marsh & Co. spring and summer mail-order catalog cover, 1885
Four round vignettes show every step after the order is posted, ending with the parcel at the buyer's own door, and the banner calls the book a guide to shopping by mail.
Misr Airlines domestic flights ad, al-Ithnayn wa al-Dunya 1939
For readers who had never flown, it shows the cabin itself, passengers seated calmly in deep leather seats, one reading, plus the 7 cities served and where to book.
Kellogg's Rice Krispies ad, Liberty, 1941
The June bride's worry, will he like what she serves, is answered with something she can check tomorrow: crisp to the last spoonful and the snap, crackle, pop with cool milk.
Viyella fabric ad, al-Musawwar 1928
It answers a parent's night-time worry with things a mother can check: the flannel keeps warmth when the cover slips, draws sweat away, will not shrink, with prices by weight and the stamped name.
Mellin's Food for infants and invalids advertisement
For a parent unsure how to feed an infant without mother's milk, the label gives feeding directions for each age, prices of 1/6 and 2/6, and a free pamphlet on care and feeding.
British Institute of Engineering Technology courses ad, al-Musawwar 1945
'What comes after the war?' voices the reader's uncertain future, and the ad answers with what happens next: letters after a name, a free 200-page book stamped Free, and no fee without success.
"Reach your boy overseas" letters-on-film poster
It explains why V-Mail is surest and fastest, 'the letters that travel on film', draws V-mail on a strip unwinding from a reel, and says the forms are at stationers and post offices.
Banque du Caire savings account ad, al-Kawakib 1967
The drawn sequence moves from a man holding his head in worry to a smiling secure family, and answers the worry with checkable terms: 3 percent a year, no minimum deposit, 45 branches.
"Obey Cancer's Danger Signals" health poster
It turns a vague fear of cancer into six checkable signs with body parts and durations, then gives the step and kills the excuse: see a physician, do not wait for pain.
تأمين كوفيد-19 للسفر من التعاونية - للمواطنين
It makes the unknown visible: each Covid travel risk is named with its cover, the 30-day period is stated, and the buying steps are spelled out.
خدمة الحماية الشاملة من جرير Jarir Total Protection Service!
It names an uncertain risk, accidents the warranty skips, then makes the unknown visible: one year of cover, repair or replacement, and exactly where to hand the phone in.
ماله داعي تكون عالم عشان تحمي نفسك من صدمات الفواتير، Bill Manager يتكفل لك بكل شيء
Bill shock is an uncertain future cost, and the ad makes it visible: what causes it, the QR 100 point where Bill Manager steps in, and the 6 GB the user gets instead.
A hospital stay is an uncertain stretch, and the ad answers it with specifics: doctors check in during admission, follow up after discharge, and approvals get done.
تجنب صدمات الفواتير أثناء التجوال مع خدمة Bill Manager
It makes the unknown roaming bill visible: what triggers the pack (100 QR), what you get (1 GB) and what happens without it, instead of a bare don't-worry.
الإنترنت المنزلي فائق السرعة بالألياف البصرية
It makes the unknown visible: each step, who contacts the customer, what tenants must provide, and what happens if the address cannot be confirmed, when a specialist calls.
Doing it wrong
Ads that make the Avoid mistake.
Egyptian General Organisation for Insurance policy ad, al-Kawakib 1970
It names the unsettled road of the future and answers with lasting stability, but says nothing about what the policy covers, costs or pays, so the reassurance comes without detail.
Alaska death-trap wartime propaganda poster
The worry about Alaska's exposed flank is answered with a picture, a mousetrap labelled Army, Civilian and Navy, which reassures by metaphor but says nothing about what will actually happen.
Misr Insurance children's life insurance ad, Bint al-Nil 1951
'The policy that brought calm to mothers' hearts' soothes the worry about the children's future but names no premium, payout, term or condition, so the reassurance stands without the detail that would earn it.
Alaska death-trap wartime propaganda poster
Redrawing the most exposed territory as bait turns a weak-flank worry into an offensive promise, but the promise rests on a vermin cartoon and a slogan, not on any shown plan.
Alinma: 10 percent off medical-malpractice cover for National Day
'Your insurance is peace of mind' answers a doctor's worry about errors with a promised calm and 10% off, but never says what the cover pays or how a claim works.
Army, Civilian, Navy mousetrap wartime poster
Labelling one spring bar Civilian puts readers inside the trap snapping on a rat reaching for the bait, yet it calms the exposure worry without saying what happens or what they do.
Al Rajhi Bank: Home insurance for peace of mind, in the app
It answers the owner's unease with تطمّن and a glowing shield, but names no coverage, price or claim step: reassurance without the detail that would make it real.
'to be SURE' and a grinning soldier answer the worry that letters get lost with reassurance alone: the poster never shows how V-Mail gets through or what happens if one is delayed.
Al Rajhi Takaful: cyber insurance for your digital world
We cover your digital world is reassurance without detail: the ad names no threat, no covered loss and no claim step, only a floating shield of padlocks around the phone.
Pears' Otto of Rose soap advertisement, 1907
The winter worry of chapped skin is met only by a smiling woman in furs and the handwritten 'Not afraid of Chaps', reassurance with no word on how the soap protects the skin.
Al Rajhi Takaful: cyber insurance keeps kids safe gaming
'Your child plays safely' and a glowing shield behind a smiling boy reassure the parent, but the ad names no risk covered, no price and no cover details.
Lifebuoy soap ad, Canada, 1924
It meets a mother's worry that a 'HEALTH SOAP' is harsh with 'may be safely used on the tenderest skin', a reassurance with no reason, ingredient or test behind it.
اعلانات سورية قديمة جدا - شهادات الاستثمار 4 - يا توتو ليش زعلان
Toto's worry about securing his three children's future is answered only with the claim that the investment certificate is that guarantee, with no rate, amount or place to buy.
It answers worry about health with لتطمئن and 36 years of solutions, but names no cover, network or step the viewer can check: reassurance without detail.
It answers unease about the future with لتطمئن and 36 years of solutions, but names no plan, product or step the viewer can check: reassurance without detail.
It speaks to worry about family with a bare promise of reassurance, "لتطمئن", and the company's age, but never says what is covered or what happens when something goes wrong.
اعلان البنك الأهلي المصري - ما تقوم تطمن على فلوسك - رمضان 2014
The refrain, why don't you go and check on your money, stirs the worry, and the answer is only open an account so you feel safe, with no word on what protects the money.
إعلان مصري قديم - ليسيد لحشرات الشعر :)
The parent's worry about putting a lice treatment on a child's head is met by one green on-screen line saying Lysid is very safe, with nothing on why or how that was checked.
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