Fear, uncertainty and doubt
Also known as: FUD
Fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) is a tactic that can be used in marketing, sales and PR. When this strategy is used, it does not assume one's own qualities, but rather portrays the competition in a bad light. The goal is to win over people or customers. The negative information communicated is usually dubious or demonstrably false.
The idea behind spreading FUD is that fear, uncertainty and doubt cause people to stop thinking rationally. They are more likely to make seemingly "safe" choices based directly on the false information.
The term FUD comes from the IT industry. Switching to hardware or software from a different supplier costs a customer extra time and money, so users often stay with one party(vendor lock-in). By presenting potential users with an uncertain image of the future of their current systems, this barrier can be more easily overcome. FUD can also be used precisely to retain customers.
Back in the 1970s, computer manufacturer IBM employed the tactic of keeping customers away from competitor Amdahl. Customers who stayed with IBM would fare well, while dark times were predicted if they switched to the competitor. The tactic was also widely used by Microsoft, in the 1980s against rival IBM's OS/2 and more recently to cast open source software in a bad light. Apple applied FUD to dissuade iPhone users from having their phones "jailbroken" (so that apps could be installed outside the App Store).
From ict, the term has evolved into a term for deliberately spreading false information in general. It often refers to security risks, combining facts with fabrications to make the tactic credible.
