Negative question
Also known as: negative demand
Negative demand is the need for a product to which there is a negative associate. The product is valuable and there is demand for it, but that demand is not voluntary. Customers would rather not purchase the product or it is even avoided.
An example of negative demand is demand for dental treatments and orthodontic products. Insurance is another example of products and services where negative demand can occur. People may think that insurance is not necessary, people keep putting off arranging it, or they avoid the product because of its complexity or sensitivity. The latter applies, for example, to life insurance and funeral insurance.
The challenge of marketing around a negative question is figuring out where the negativity is coming from and what strategy can be put in place to counter it. In the example of insurance, commercials and advertisements could emphasize the benefits of buying insurance, communicating why it is better to get things right than to do nothing.
Negative demand can also cause consumers to make different choices. For example, cheap ready-to-wear clothing produced in low-wage countries is associated by many people with exploitation and child labor. Negative coverage of this can lead people to be willing to pay a little more for a product that offers the assurance that it was made in a fair way.
