Question

How do marketers use EMOTION to encourage children, and their parents, to buy?

Answer 1

Marketers use emotion to make your audience notice, remember, share, and buy. Emotional marketing typically taps into a singular emotion, like happiness, sadness, anger, or fear, to elicit a consumer response.

That’s because emotions are like colors. There are a few defined concepts, but for the most part, emotions exist on a spectrum. One tiny change on the spectrum can lead to a different kind of happy, a different kind of sad, and a different kind of angry.

Now consider a new business. If it were between two advertisements — one that simply talked about products, and one that made you laugh or cry — which would “impress” you? The second one, right?

First impressions form in a matter of seconds. The same goes for a first impression of a product or brand, and marketing emotion can help shape that impression … and help that brand or product stand out in your mind.

Think back to your last major purchase.

When it came down to the wire, how did you decide which option to buy? Better yet, what made you finally push "buy"? (Because, let’s be real, you probably bought something online.)

Sure, you compared prices and spent time reading about each product, but when it came time to make a decision, I’m betting you relied on your heart over your head.

I’m guessing that an emotion you felt, or wanted to feel, helped nudge you in the right direction. Dove’s marketing is a great example of this. Their inclusive, down-to-earth commercials focus on ensuring every woman feels beautiful, making their product seem like a source of many emotions — acceptance, serenity, optimism, self-love.

While emotional marketing is a powerful tool for eliciting a purchase or two, emotions also encourage other activity that can help grow your business and brand.