How many facts do you hear in a day? How many of them do you remember?
How many emotions do you feel in a day? How many of them do you remember?
Odds are that you remember what you felt more than what you heard or saw. Remember that saying, “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”? That quote is also true in marketing. Studies show that people rely more on emotion than reason when establishing brand loyalty. Emotions are the basis for reason – once someone is emotionally attached to a brand or product, they will come up with a logical reason to purchase it.
There are four basic emotions: happy, sad, afraid/surprised, and angry/disgusted. These basic emotions can combine to create the plethora of emotions that exist in human nature. However, we can use these four to evaluate emotional marketing strategies.
Of course everyone loves to be happy, and people love to make others happy. Messages that make our audience feel happy are more likely to be shared. Social media is a great way to utilize this finding because it is optimal for sharing
Sadness, although a stark contrast from happiness, can also be an effective emotional appeal. Sadness helps us connect and empathize – it draws us in emotionally. Sometimes everyone just needs a good cry.
Fear/surprise is also an effective strategy. Think about watching a scary movie – nothing is more comforting than sharing the experience of being scared with someone else. Fear/surprise make us desperate for something to cling to, and when no one is around, a brand will have to do. Fear also creates urgency and causes us to take action. Do note, however, that fear/surprise should be used conservatively as ads that are “too intense” will often scare customers away.
Anger/disgust can be used in a marketing campaign to make us more passionate. Think about when you read comments on an article. Have you ever read rude comments and felt more passionate about the topic at hand? This is how anger can be an effective strategy.
So what’s the takeaway? Emotional marketing works – but you must know how to use it. Certain emotions will work for certain ads, but not for others. Overall, emotions work by not being so “in-your-face”, but rather flying under the radar and grabbing the audience without notice. Feel free to contact us if you need assistance setting up your emotional marketing campaign.