The FOMO phenomenon: Tap into consumers' fear of missing out

Sharon M. Goldman

Brands can tap into consumers’ fear of missing out by looking at this growing trend and how it is evolving.

It's easy to recognize the symptoms: The sigh of envy at a friend's tropical vacation photos on Facebook. The left-out feeling upon seeing Instagram evidence of a peer's latest party. The wild desire to buy a ticket to a concert that everyone seems to be going to.

The cause of those emotions, known as FOMO, or fear of missing out, has become part and parcel of today's social media-fueled universe. In 2013, the Oxford English Dictionary evenadded FOMO to its lexicon, reflecting growing millennial anxiety about possibly missing exciting or interesting events happening around them, particularly those shared...

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