As electric vehicles (EVs) continue to gain popularity, more and more startup companies are...
FUD, or Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt, has been used as a marketing strategy for years. It's an old tactic, but it's worked in almost every industry except the automobile industry. From getting rid of the horse and buggy to adding seat belts, there have been instances of FUD in the past that has yet to work. Now, with some conservatives demonizing the use of electric vehicles (EV), the question arises, will FUD be successful this time? This blog post explores the history of FUD and whether it will work on EVs. "Demagogues," like Trump and DeSantis, are using their right-wing scare tactics to convince their constituents that EV is a scam! Will it work? Here's the history of fud for your review:
One of the first instances of FUD in history was the McLaughlin Carriage Company trying to sway people away from gas cars and back to their buggies. They tried to convince the public that gas cars were dangerous and unreliable. Despite their efforts, the gas car took off and became the dominant mode of transportation.
IBM was behind the original term "FUD" as early as 1975. Their salespeople would try to scare customers away from any new computer with the threat of crashing, failing, and losing all their data. However, this strategy didn't work for them long-term, as shown in the following example.
Ironically, IBM would later be disrupted by Microsoft and Windows (tech IBM owned and ignored). Gates and his company would also use FUD to disrupt the DOS program many of us used back in the dinosaur days😊. They still use this tactic today, and it's why their programs are on every work computer in the world.
Apple's jailbreaking was another instance of FUD. They branded it as something that could ruin your phone and void any warranty. However, people found ways to jailbreak their phones and install their apps and software, irrespective of Apple's branding.
Security software is another classic FUD example. Anti-virus companies urge customers to buy their product with the scary notion that their computer is never safe and they must pay for security. Although necessary now, scareware then didn't work on people.
After 9/11, there was an upsurge in security and military spending, creating a new FUD known as the "terrorists have won." Although this might be an extreme case of FUD, it still didn't work in stopping our country's defense growth.
In conclusion, FUD is an old tactic marketers use to disrupt a market. FUD has worked in almost every industry except the automobile industry. From gas to seat belts, the automobile industry has always been able to break out of the FUD and move forward. Despite the use of FUD by some conservatives in demonizing EV as a "woke agenda," the market is too strong, and it's unlikely that FUD will work. As history has shown us, people are always willing to embrace new technologies that improve their way of life. The same applies to the electric vehicle industry. FUD might cause temporary setbacks, but the electric vehicle market will continue growing. The world is dying and needs climate action now, so for this author, EVs are the future and not going anywhere.
Content Credit - FUD Creation - IBM 12 FUD types history of fud
Pic Credit - EV Pic Malware PIC Jailbreak Pic EV Fire McLaughlin Pc
