Emotional Branding: when emotions meet marketing
"Conveying positive emotions is the key to making a product or service more viral."
These words from Professor Jonah Berger, a professor of viral marketing at the University of Pennsylvania, encapsulate the world of theemotional branding: the marketing of emotion.
What we are increasingly seeing is the preponderance of the role of the emotions in consumer purchase choices (in both the B2B and B2C sectors) especially since the purchasing action occurs primarily online. In the user's journey within the customer journey - that path from first contact with a product to the decision to buy it-every choice is in fact always accompanied by a good dose of emotions. This is true even in the case of a rather rational audience: there always comes a time when you come to terms with your emotions!
The importance of emotional branding
Why does this happen? Nowadays, for consumers, it is no longer the excellent performance or outstanding features of a product that are relevant, but the emotional aspects that this is able to elicit, the story behind it, and the experiences it enables. The focus of the consumer has become experience e experience positive emotions: this is why emotionality proves to be the key to a brand's success and the discriminating factor that allows it to be differentiated from the competition.
Thinking about it, the process that leads to preferring one brand over others and remaining loyal to it is comparable to the human relations we establish in the course of our lives. Every day we meet numerous people, but only with a few of them do we form deep enough bonds that they become part of our everyday life. Generally this happens with those we share interests and passions with, those who are able to arouse positive emotions in us, and those who understand and stimulate us.
The same happens with the brand: we come in contact with countless brands, but there are only a few that we trust and choose consistently over time. Again, it is the emotional sphere To play a key role! That is why, in order to make a brand unforgettable, it is necessary to develop a strategy of emotional branding that involves conveying emotions, establishing a deep connection with one's audience, stimulating trust and respect, and - most importantly - spreading exclusively good vibes.
Building buyer personas
This then is the goal of theemotional branding: Convey emotions, ensure unique experiences.
To achieve this, it is necessary to make the consumer the focus on which to build a dedicated marketing strategy. Understanding their needs, wants and fears is the key to creating personalized content that satisfy the target audience and bring about positive experiences.
Our advice to fully understand your target audience is to define the so-called buyer personas: A portrait of the user who embodies a segment of the company's target audience.
Do you want to try to create your own buyer personas? Start by answering some simple questions such as:
- What is the name of my typical user?
- what does he do for a living?
- how old is he?
- how much do you make?
- What are his needs?
- How does it perform on the network?
- What can I offer him?
The clearer and more detailed the answers, the greater the chances of having captured exactly all segments of your audience!
Techniques for conveying emotions
Let us now look together at some techniques commonly used in theemotional branding and concrete examples of realities that have applied them (and that you surely know)!
Using institutional colors and tone of voice wisely
Ferrari has made its iconic red (Ferrari Red, RGB code #ff2800) a true trademark. All brand communication revolves around this precise color and the values it conveys: strength, speed, passion and endurance. Ideals and emotions that are always respected by the Ferrari brand in all its variations.
Creating effective storytelling
Happiness, share, life are the key words of all the claims Coca-Cola. The well-known brand has always chosen to convey its communication through positive life stories, in which the famous bottle is an integral part of scenes charged with happiness and cheer (families reunited for Christmas, dinners with friends, a group of fans in front of the screen..). In this way the brand makes sure to transfer a clear message: where there is Coca-Cola there is happiness!
Making the consumer feel part of an exclusive community
One example out of all is Apple. Apple devices have unique features that the competition does not (FaceTime, to name one), connect with each other easily and intuitively (whereas connecting with competitive devices is often cumbersome and sometimes impossible), and boast unparalleled design. Apple buyers immediately sense that they have joined a group to which privileged services and applications are reserved.
Inspiring consumers to take big steps
We mention in this case the American brand Always, a manufacturer and distributor of feminine pads. In a recent campaign, Always reversed the negative stereotype attached to the phrase "like a female" ("like a girl") making it her strength. In this way it inspires women, young and old, to be proud to belong to the female gender. Here is an example of the campaign, which was also the winner of the Primetime Emmy Award for Best Commercial Advertising.
Conclusions
Appealing to emotions is therefore a proven strategy for attracting your target audience, connecting with them and incentivizing them to use your products/services. Understanding how the brand, and what it represents, affects users' lives, on the other hand, is crucial to improving their experience and gaining their loyalty. The emotions that a brand is able to generate are what allows it to be positioned in the minds of consumers and makes them real ambassador Of the brand, even in the case of small entities!
Moral: Better to build authentic and lasting relationships with the audience than immediate but superficial conversions.
Let's implement together your strategy of emotional branding, CONTACT US!
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