How to spark emotion in your advertising
Do it “…like a girl”
When you read the statement, what was the first thing that came into your mind? Personally I think its often used as an insult. This question formed the basis of one of the best advertising concepts to ever come out in this day and age. In addition to that it won Emmy, a Cannes Grand Prix award, and the Grand Clio award — a recognition practically unheard of in the advertising world.
I am talking about the 2014 like a girl campaign by Always. This ad was not only able to strike a cord with its consumers, it communicated to its that it understood the consumer. The ad reaped hefty dividends for the company Always in terms of revenue and brand loyalty.
This offers a glimpse of how effective emotional marketing can be.
The consumer of today is better educated and has access to all the information he/she needs at the click of a finger. In this day and age, it is not just about telling your prospects about your features, they can Google it or find the info on your website. These days, its all about creating a resonance with your audience.
Lets go over on what makes emotional marketing so powerful and how you can leverage this to drive your business growth.
Before we do that however, lets talk about emotions.
Take a moment to think about the emotions you are feeling right now. Keep in mind, emotions aren’t exactly what your body is feeling but rather a description of your state of mind. Also keep in mind that emotions are more like color existing on a spectrum. For example one tiny change on the spectrum can lead to a different type of happy or a different type of sad, sort of like the way green has so many shades.
Take a look at this “wheel of emotion”
This is a good illustration of the emotional spectrum. This matters a lot, and it applies to marketing. For example, depending on your product or service, you can’t always target general “happiness”. You must dig deep to find out which emotion you need to target exactly.
This influences everything from your copywriting, media, graphics choices, etc.
Why is emotional marketing powerful and why it works
People feel first before they think. Its just our nature. Human beings can’t help but experience emotions. When people are exposed to advertising, advertising that makes them feel, they are more likely to recall that ad as opposed to a generic advert that simply informs about the product/service.
Think back to your last purchase. Sure you spent time thinking about your purchase, or maybe it was spontaneous. But what really made you push the “buy now!” button? I am willing to make a wager that the decision was made by your heart. After that, then your brain rationalized the decision. Often times people make purchases then perform mental gymnastics to try and convince themselves that it was a good purchase.
The emotions that you felt, helped nudge you in the right direction.
–Emotional marketing inspires people to act now
Here are a couple of tips to leverage this powerful concept;
1: Know your audience
If you don’t know your audience, how will you know what they will respond to? This is the first step in any marketing campaign. Conduct target research and get to know your audience better
2: Understand the effects of color
You know the old trope, red is passion and fire and anger, blue is warm etc Color plays a major role in invoking emotion. Have you ever walked into a room and have your moods shift all over sudden? This is color psychology. Therapists paint their offices to calm their patients, soccer teams choose jersey colors that excite their players and audiences, and movie directors choose color schemes that play into their genre i.e bright colors for Romantic comedies, dark and gritty colors for dramas and horror movies.
3: Always tell a story
Whether through excitement, passion, sadness, or anger, stories are easily relatable and shareable regardless of the makeup of your audience.
4: Create a movement of community
Everyone belongs to a tribe. Tribes can be varied for example dog-lovers, cat-lovers, coffee addicts, entrepreneurs. Endeavor to create a community around your core values. Feelings of camaraderie, acceptance, and excitement will always create a sense of loyalty to your brand.
How to measure emotional advertising
You measure this by looking at the number of people sharing your content. People share what has resonated with them. If a lot of people are sharing what you are doing, then you are doing something right.
