Humans buy on emotion and justify with logic. Have you ever heard that saying before? Digital emotional branding is a very effective way to connect a brand with loyal consumers through meaningful relationships. It is the art of storytelling that humanise a brand and allow consumers to connect to that brand personality. It is possible to convey the brand identity and vision through a more emotional branding strategy and the right mix of digital media platforms. This article explores the science behind emotional branding.
What is Emotional Branding?
Consumers want to feel an emotional connection to their favourite brands as it is an extension of their own personality, style, and identity. It is crucial to understand the target audience in order to create the best response – it could be inspiration, happiness, sadness, and even anger. The emotional seduction makes the differential between good and great brands.
Emotional branding is a science, and brands have gone a long way to reveal the secrets behind emotions. Honda used consumer neuroscience including eye tracking and facial coding to test advertisements and emotional activation in humans. But is it really that complicated?
How to Drive Emotional Branding
Very few brands think about their consumers’ feelings or act upon how these feelings create loyalty. Nevertheless, consumers expect responsive and authentic interactions with brands. Greulich and Buchanan, 2019, found that rational considerations like price, promotion, etc., are top of mind in the beginning and in the end of relationships with brands. Everything in between the beginning and end of these relationships are emotional considerations. This means that the emotional responses inspire loyalty and advocacy.
Emotional branding builds on a good friendship: Empathy, responsiveness, awareness, personalisation. It is crucial for brands to become good listeners and engage with consumers contextually. Yes, this includes a wide understanding of their individual service and purchase history and their current needs and wants. It can take years to form these friendships but with a consistent, honest, empathetic, timely voice across all touch points.
What is Next?
It is crucial to understand and investigate the link between the strategic use of emotional branding and loyal consumers. If you need help or have any questions, leave a comment or contact me.
