Emotional Marketing is much more than the functional value of your product or service. It creates an emotional connection between you and your consumer through a positive experience, generating loyalty. As Maya Angelou once said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.
The emotional bond we form with brands influences our consumer decisions. In fact, a study from Psychology Today shows that “when evaluating brands, consumers primarily use emotions (personal feelings and experiences) rather than information (brand attributes, features, and facts)”. So, if you focus only on your product features, there will be no emotional link to influence your customers’ preferences.
It takes 20% more time for our cognitive brain to assimilate the same input compared to our emotional brain¹, so it is safe to say that emotions are the driving force behind people’s purchasing decisions.
But what are the real advantages of using Emotional Marketing?
- The emotional connection of your consumer will be stronger than just a mere transactional relationship;
- Your clients will be more than just loyal; they will become your best promoters;
- The probability of people remembering you is higher when emotion is involved;
- If done the right way, you will impact people and make them share and debate about it;
- It will reinforce your identity and help you differentiate from the competition.
To improve your business through Emotional Marketing, you need to deeply understand two elements: your product and your audience.
- Rely on your product and understand how it can improve someone’s life, not only functionally but emotionally.
- Research and discover what motivates your audience, how their minds work, and what they are looking for.
Let’s make this practical by using two examples:
We all know the benefits of using deodorant – mostly reducing body odor and sweating. But using an Axe product is much more than that.
As you can see in this commercial, Axe offers you more than just a deodorant. It offers you a way to feel more confident, and become more attractive to other people. It will make you smell good and fulfil your desire to put your best foot forward in the dating game.
For another example, life insurance can be a difficult subject to talk about due to its intangible nature and the associated feelings of fear, insecurity, and uncertainty. However, Thai Life Insurance has turned it into something impactful and hopeful.
Suddenly, buying a life insurance product doesn’t feel like uncertainty about what life will bring. It assures you a way to appreciate life and all the good things in it. You will have time to enjoy other people’s happiness and experience true love, receiving what money can’t buy.
You can take advantage of emotional marketing not only through video but in any way you choose. These are just two examples of understanding what your product or service is really about and how it can affect people’s daily lives.
In a world full of different brands, only businesses that improve their personal connections with people can stand out, so the capability of exploring their emotions is crucial.
“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic but with creatures of emotion.”
Dale Carnegie
