Have you ever bragged about how you always make every decision based on logic and not emotions, unlike your friends who keep getting back with their toxic ex-partners? If the answer is yes, then prepare to be called out in this blog post, while getting new insights on how to weaponize them for your marketing strategies!
According to Frijda (1988), because emotions activate immediate (!!!) responses which enable humans to solve problems and identify opportunities in a timely manner, we have the tendency to feel rather than think, and this is where emotional marketing can be powerful in building viral campaigns on social media. This should not come as a surprise as the human nature of emotions makes the content more personally relevant, hence humanizing the brand (Dobele et al, 2007).
Okay, enough with the theories and research findings. I could continue roasting all of you who think that you are a logical human being 100% of the time but I need to pass this subject. Let’s dive into how to utilize them.
What you are hoping to achieve should be the foundation of the strategy. Harvey (2018) states that different types of emotions trigger different responses to marketing campaigns.
- Campaigns dominated by happiness and positivity will lead to greater number of shares
- Sadness dominated content will generate higher click through rates and possibly increased reliance on the brand when the brand is presented as a solution to the customer’s problems. For example, healthcare providers and public service announcements employ scare tactics through graphic images and disheartening messages, exploiting the viewer’s vulnerability and fear to urge them to take actions.
If brand reach is the main goal, then creating delightful campaign, especially with content that matters most to your viewers will do the trick.
If increased reliance and long-lasting impression are your goals, showing the brand values and what it stands for through the emotional campaign works wonders (if you’re lucky).
Khuong and Tram (2015) implies that powerful emotional marketing works best when the objective is to increase brand awareness and influence consumers’ attitude, with the help of images and symbols that transform the campaign to be more truthful and human.
Take a look at Procter & Gamble “Thank you, Mom.” campaign video.
The medal image that appears along with the Olympics and P&G logo that says “proud sponsor of moms” and “worldwide partner” ripped my heart to pieces. The logo emphasizes that mothers around the world always trust P&G products to take care of their children.
Now are you ready to tug at your customers’ heartstrings?
Tell me about the time when you create an impactful emotional campaign in the comments section and I’ll share my thoughts when I’m back! Gotta dry my tears and call my mom now 🙂
Digital Marketing World 
I definitely agree with you that emotional marketing can really determine how your target audience responds to your marketing/advertising. I think your post is very topical as in Australia with the pandemic, the government has employed scare tactics such as this one:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-10/new-victorian-covid-19-public-health-ad-campaign/12542160?nw=0
Many times I have become loyal to brands and purchased certain products because of the emotional marketing that is involved but I am a huge advocate for it. It allows a sense of humanity to be involved with the selling and persuasion of a good or service and ultimately can highlight to your consumer that you care about them. I also really like the P&G example, it evoked a ridiculous amount of tears! Keep up the great work and looking forward to your next post!
LikeLike
Thank you for your comment, Stephanie. I’m glad to hear that I am not the only one that cries after watching the ad 🙂 If you don’t mind telling me, what kind of brands have you been loyal to? I’m curious whether emotional marketing would work for medium to high involvement purchase too and I’d love to hear your experience.
LikeLike
You are so right. Connecting emotionally with customers even if they are not directly converting, at least a good impression will last long and will help create brand loyalty and word of mouth marketing. There was an ad for Shan foods where it shows how students living abroad away from family are missing their festive holidays but how the brand helped them feel home was very heart touching.
Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIZcgaDSyVo
Great info though, looking forward to your next post 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you for your comment. I watched the video and I could totally relate, since today is Indonesia’s independence day and I am not celebrating it with my family. I could not agree more with your statement that says while it may not result in immediate purchase, it sure helps to leave a lasting impression – after all your customers wouldnt buy your product if you dont leave a good impression. hope you’re staying safe 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for your sharing. In terms of my favorable ads, the advertisement for Sprite always attracts my attention. The positive power of emotional marketing helps me reduce stress and stimulate passion. Sometimes I believe the campaigns deliver empathy and establish a strong relationship between the brand and me. The reason why I could be a super loyal customer of Sprite is a spirit and a lifestyle rather than a product. For marketers, maybe how to build an emotional connection is a big issue.
LikeLike
Love how you describe the brand has values you support. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I agree, building an emotional connection with your viewers is not an easy thing!
LikeLike
I enjoyed the discussion regarding emotional advertising appeals. They are powerful and persuasive methods that pull on the heart strings and as you mentioned can make you laugh, cry or maybe even both. I am particularly intrigued by fear appeals, which are often used in cigarette campaigns. I do believe fear appeal should be accompanied by a solution and a way for audiences to make a positive change. Below is an anti-smoking campaign which evokes fear and sadness but also offers a solution providing a quit line and a few other resources. I believe this strikes a good balance of arousing a heightened emotional response but also providing a rational next step for smokers to get help.
LikeLike
Wow thats a great video! It’s short but it definitely communicates a strong message.
I agree that fear appeal should be an effective way of urging the viewers to take actions but if it’s not done carefully, I feel like it would have adverse effects on the brand image (even if its a public service ad, then it has a chance to be highly criticized too), though I definitely support providing a range of solutions at the end of the video. Thanks for sharing your perspective, Brydie!
LikeLike
The role of Emotion in Marketing has always been debatable, as that is not something that can be measured directly, although can be directly associated with buyer behavior.
But I agree with you 100% on how emotion plays a vital role in Branding and Consumer buying behavior. We, humans, tend to run by our emotions, and so does our decision-making process. Last semester, in one of my units (Understanding MArketing and Consumers), I came through an article by Millward brown which quoted that we as consumers are not always aware of our subconscious emotions and how strongly that is influencing our decision-making process.
The article listed a bunch of really good examples of Glade air fresheners and Surf, which reminded me of an impeccable example of branding and advertising I have come across in the past and thought of sharing that with all of you. PAPER BOAT- It was just another natural fruit juice brand coming up in India. But their outstanding branding has carved a niche for them in the digital sphere. The entire branding was based on one element: NOSTALGIA. Starting from the name, which was an immediate rush to all of our childhoods. Advertisements and slogans used by the brand were all deeply etched into one’s childhood. Here’s a glimpse of paper boat’s branding: https://bizongo.com/blog/paperboat-packaging-a-psychological-success/.
I think brands can really utilize emotional marketing to overcome the current situation of COVID-19. They should emphasize during this uncertain time in picking up the right strategy to hit the right emotional nerve of the consumers. It could be around what consumers would need to regain their trust in these brands after all of this is over.
LikeLike
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and childhood drink story, Shivani! I learned that emotional marketing not only is useful when the brand is advertising their product(s) but they can influence our subconscious feelings through packaging. I nearly bought frank body cacao scrub because it says “imagine a world where you shower yourself in chocolate” and that was my (weird) wish when i was a kid before i realized it was unhygienic, the fact that im a sweet tooth almost made me buy the product too. I also love your point in utilizing emotional marketing during this emotional time (at least for me lol) , and it definitely has the potential to regain trust after this is over since its not something we can just forget.
LikeLike
Hey Felicia,
Great examples used here! Emotional marketing is so important now when people are just bombarded with messages from thousands of brands. To stand out brands needs to something that genuinely impacts a potential consumer. As a copywriter, I understand how difficult and rewarding that task can be. In fact, I had an old mentor back home who would often say, ‘if you make them cry they’ll buy’. But of course, it’s more overarching than a simple campaign its something that needs to be at the core of the brand. A brand like Dove does it well, but a brand such as L’oreal can not cause they are inherently different brand identities. Great blog overall though, very informative!
Thank you!
LikeLike
Thank you for the feedback and sharing your thoughts as a copywriter! I feel like creating an emotional marketing campaign that is impactful is hard enough and its definitely not enough of a reason for a customer to buy your product, especially if its a high involvement purchase. An insurance brand usually creates the most emotional campaigns but since its such a high involvement purchase, people will look at the plans they have and compare it with other brands too 🙂
LikeLike
Edited on 17/09
If the answer is yes, then prepare to be called out in this blog post (this sentence was already there), while getting new insights on how to weaponize them for your marketing strategies! (addition statement on target audience)
Added some text colors
Removal of cat image
Addition of P&G medal image
Asking marketers to comment instead of advertisement viewers
LikeLike