Emotions drive brands. I think we can all agree on that. And a brand’s emotional intent can be a key ingredient in its secret sauce.
Brands that tap into and evoke emotion, particularly feel good ones, are not surprisingly the ones we engage with most often. Truly emotive brands know how to infuse every one of their touch points with meaning. They take their customers on a buying “journey” and allow them to have an experience that wows, makes them gasp or even on occasion cry.
Being purposefully at enhancing these brand moments most certainly equates in acquiring a dedicated base of raving fans. It also goes without saying that a deep emotional connection tends to lead to brand loyalty.
Studies show that people rely on emotions, rather than information, a majority of the time, to make purchasing choices. Meaning that how they are made to feel from a website, an ad, a commercial or display weighs far greater than their reaction to the actual content. That is a pretty powerful insight for any brand to recognize and optimize.
Connecting emotional dots for people is paramount for brands in both attracting new brand ambassadors as well as maintaining their current ones. Generating a positive reaction to your brand shouldn’t be rocket science if you have landed squarely on articulating your value proposition and positioning from the get-go.
Many brands think they have accurately defined WHY someone should look their brand’s way and how their brand can provide them with a unique and one-a-of-a-kind destination. The unfortunate reality is that many brands launch touting what their product/service is by literally means and what pain points their widget addresses but they have left out the very core element of WHY them over their competition (and remember it doesn’t need to be apples to apples to be your brand’s competition).
What is your brand known for and how do you make your demographic feel? Is it something they can’t find anywhere else? If you can answer that, you are leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else that might be riding in your lane. However, many brands can’t answer that question or at least dance around it. It is why we do what we do around here at re•tool.
Keeping your brand’s story in mind and the emotion(s) you desire to elicit when crafting all of your messaging takes some serious thought and commitment. Being consistent with your outreach and interactions allows for consumers to more readily and emotionally connect with your brand. Whatever personality your brand exudes needs to be tangible and authentic, always.
The end game is that your brand should appeal, seduce, rally, rouse, excite…you get the picture. Just be sure that your brand is hitting the mark and generating the emotional vibe you intended.
