Following the media assault, I wondered if there would be a marketing assault to take advantage of the pandemic scare. I figured someone wanted to own the Swine Flu. Two marketers stepped up: Lysol and Kleenex. Well, sort of.

Lysol’s message was simple: Influenza A (H1N1): Common Sense Steps to Help Keep Your Family Healthy. I received the message via an email. The email detailed steps to mitigate catching the swine flu. The steps included washing your hands for 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice), regularly disinfect the frequently-touched surfaces in your home, and avoid people who are sick.

The other marketer, Kleenex, did not mentioned the swine flu directly. Instead they are battling cold and flu bugs on a site called Battle the Bug. The site contains product info on Kleenex Anti-Viral Tissue, flu factoids (e.g. One sneeze can spray 100,000 infectious droplets into the air at more than 200 MPH), and a color-coded state map based on flu severity. Kleenex also recommends steps to avoid the flu like washing your hands (no time limit or song required), getting a good nights sleep, and disposing tissues in a trash recepticle as soon as possible.

The question I wondered about is: Do you want to own the swine flu?

Fear marketing can be effective. Think about GM’s OnStar campaign. The campaign centers around real calls normally with an OnStar agents contacting 911 services as people are pinned within their vehicle. Not appealing, but seemlingly effective for GM. In 2009, OnStar reported 6 million subscribers, and is now negotiating to offer the service to non-GM auto-manufacturers.

VW tried a similar tactic with their “Safe Happens” campaign. The shocking ads culminated in a Jetta smashing into another vehicle. An interesting way to advertise a Jetta’s crash test rating. Although the campaign caused an intial influx of shopper attention, there is mixed signals on the campaign’s long term effect on Jetta sales.

Owning fear is a delicate marketing approach. Taking advantage of a consumer’s primal fear can be effective — at least in the short term. However, for marketers, like Lysol, owning the swine flu may have too much negative baggage. This may explain why Lysol referenced the swine flu by it’s clinical title (Influenza A (H1N1)) and the message was sent via email, not in a broad reach media campaign.