Emotional-based advertising works by tapping into human psychology, leveraging the brain's intuitive and emotional decision-making system (System 1) to build a powerful and memorable connection between a consumer and a brand. This approach intentionally uses emotional triggers like joy, fear, or nostalgia to influence attitudes and drive consumer behavior in ways that rational appeals often cannot.
The psychology behind emotional advertising
- The emotional override: Human decision-making is a dual process. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotion-driven, while System 2 is slow, logical, and deliberative. Emotional advertising targets System 1, allowing it to influence decisions more quickly than rational thought, which makes the message more persuasive and memorable.
- Memory encoding and recall: Emotions are deeply tied to how the brain encodes and retrieves memories. Ads that evoke strong emotional responses—positive or negative—are much more likely to be remembered than those that simply present factual information. This helps keep the brand "top of mind" for a consumer, especially at the point of purchase.
- The power of storytelling: Storytelling is a powerful tool for emotional advertising because it allows brands to create a narrative with relatable characters and situations. This makes it easier for consumers to form an empathetic connection with the story, and by extension, with the brand.
- Building brand loyalty: A strong emotional connection to a brand can foster long-term loyalty and advocacy, transforming a simple consumer into a dedicated customer. This loyalty goes beyond simple product features and is instead based on a deeper relationship of shared values and positive feelings.
- Triggering specific behaviors: Emotional appeals can be used to elicit a wide range of consumer behaviors. Fear, for example, is often used by insurance or safety-focused brands to create a sense of urgency, while joy is used to create positive associations and encourage sharing.