Why do customers continue to use the same brand even though multiple options are available in the market? This is only possible when a brand develops a strong connection with its target audience and establishes emotional connections. 

Emotional Branding is a technique that targets the subconscious desires of consumers, like power, ego gratification, love, or emotional security. Brands can craft a memorable experience by evoking positive emotions and memories like love, joy, nostalgia, excitement, etc. Icons, designs, and user experience foster loyalty among consumers when optimised through emotional branding. This marketing approach has enjoyed much success since emotional campaigns resonate strongly with audiences, reaping substantial rewards for the brands. 

Emotional Advertising vs. Emotional Branding

Emotional advertising does not simply mean heart-touching advertisements and campaigns. The practice seems self-explanatory but needs to be executed correctly, or else your audience will be confused. When emotional appeal is used with careful consideration, emotional advertising can deliver exceptional results. Specific ads and campaigns allow a more direct application of emotions. Nevertheless, these individual ads and campaigns must be a part of your brand’s overall emotional strategy. Emotional ads are constituents that strengthen the structural integrity of your brand.

Often, emotional ads are planned for significant events and also help brand promotion. For instance, P&G created an emotional campaign for the 2016 Rio Olympics, the “Thank You, Mom – Strong” campaign, accentuating a mother’s role in our lives. The ad campaign focused on how mothers encouraged Olympic athletes as kids, inspiring them to participate courageously in the Olympics. Since P&G caters to home products, the emotional branding touching on the home aspect was planned well, with millions watching their ad from home.

Emotional Branding Appeal – Ethos | Pathos | Logos

There is a science behind emotional branding that enables brands to build authority and trust among their audience. Emotional branding triggers a customer’s natural emotions, and embedding the message in your communication can be an effective marketing technique. A brand’s emotional appeal also has a connection with Greek Philosopher Aristotle’s three modes of persuasion – Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Each of these techniques can invoke emotional appeal between the audience and the speaker. 

Together, they are known as the rhetoric triangle and are persuasive techniques that a brand has at its disposal. Balancing these modes of persuasion can be an effective marketing technique to create an emotional brand. However, using these techniques in brand commercials may sometimes mean focusing on one advertising technique. 

Ethos – Ethics & Credibility

As a mode of persuasion, Ethos appeals to a consumer by concentrating on a brand’s credibility. A brand commands respect or admiration from its audience when they are convinced that the products and services offered are credible and ethical. A position of authority and trust for a brand lets its consumers make purchase decisions based on credibility. When brands want to unlock trust through advertising, Ethos is the best persuasive technique. 

Brands can use testimonials, social proofs on websites, expert product endorsements, and case studies to evoke customer’s emotions. For example, popular footballer Cristiano Ronaldo endorses Nike products. When consumers see successful athletes wearing Nike products, the brand authority strengthens because a public figure validates the products for end consumers. Brands often choose to support social causes, and their participation in charitable initiatives helps create a positive impression in the consumers’ minds.

Pathos – Emotions & Empathy  

Pathos appeals to a person’s emotions, memories, nostalgia, or shared experiences. It can be used to evoke feelings such as a sense of belonging, urgency, Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), etc. Pathos has the ability to pull at the heartstrings of the audience and evoke feelings. The emotions, in turn, create responses, and brands can use this type of persuasion technique to get consumers to buy something.

For example, a half-eaten apple reminds audiences of Apple. The “I’m Lovin’ it” jingle tune has an instant recall for McDonald’s. Advertisements with cute animals, love stories, inspirational music/imagery, or overcoming challenges are some of the quick ways to appeal to your audience’s emotions. 

Logos – Logic & Reason

Logos is perhaps the most crucial persuasive technique since it appeals to your audience’s logic and reason. Logos is the reason to buy a product or connect with a brand. Facts, figures, statistics, charts, and graphs are cited to convince consumers. However, these may not be sufficient to convince them. Consumers want to know how a brand helps them solve their problems or what it can do for them.  

For example, Samsung can emphasize the features of their phone, such as battery life, durability, picture quality, etc., to convince consumers to buy Samsung phones. Innovative messaging and spectacular visuals of the product, along with facts, are more likely to convince consumers to buy the brand.

How it Works

Ultimately, the brand’s identity should guide what technique or combination of techniques is best suited. And while making profits is a great goal for any business, a brand must also satisfy its customers to build loyalty. A few simple steps can enable a brand to perfect its emotional branding strategy:

1. Problem Definition – Understand what motivates customers and include these themes in your campaign and branding strategy. Marketing insights and researching competitors can also guide you to understand emotional triggers for your audience. Survey and interview tools can help discover actionable feedback to plan your emotional branding strategy. 
2. Describe Feelings – Once you have defined the problem you want to address, it is important to describe your own feelings about the brand. Start by answering questions about expectations from the brand, benefits from products/services, value it can add, association with social causes that I believe in, and is better than what I currently use. Use this information to create meaningful connections by understanding your customers and uncovering gap areas to improve your offerings.
3. Storytelling – Develop a story around your products/services to build emotional connections with customers. Vulnerability, legitimacy, and relatability are key factors to consider when tapping into human experiences for storytelling.    
4. Content Creation – With a compelling brand story, you can create attractive content around your product for emotionally grasped consumers. Maximise response by drafting a compelling proposition and using unique language to grab your audiences’ attention. It is crucial to create a sense of urgency with your messaging and keep CTA simple and effective. 

Examples of Emotional Branding Techniques

The Dhara Jalebi ad is a classic example of emotional branding that has left a lasting impact on consumers and continues to be remembered even after many years. The ad was simple and straightforward. It didn’t rely on elaborate storytelling or complicated plotlines. Instead, it focused on the pure and genuine connection between the characters. Its ability to touch the audience’s hearts and create a lasting emotional connection has ensured that it remains in the collective memory of consumers for years.

Pampers, a leading diaper and baby care brand, has successfully utilized emotional branding by collaborating with celebrities like Shreya Ghosal to share their baby stories. By tapping into the emotions, experiences, and authenticity of parenthood, they create a strong bond with their audience and build a loyal customer base. Sharing these stories humanizes the brand and makes it more than just a product; it becomes a part of the cherished moments in people’s lives.

Prega News, has successfully used emotional advertising to turn the experience of taking a pregnancy test into a source of joy. This has been achieved by encouraging consumers to share their personal stories and experiences related to the product.  It has strengthened the bond between the brand and its customers, ultimately making the brand more relatable and customer-focused.

Advantages for your Brand

Emotional branding will help your brand grow its customer base while improving customer communication and engagement. Understanding the core emotions and problems of your customers can foster relationships and create a sense of belonging through your brand. Strive to know your customer’s story and leverage it to generate better results with your emotional branding strategy. When your audience connects with you at a deeper level, they value the brand more, building brand loyalty. Post-sales customer experience presents an opportunity to enhance brand awareness and strengthen brand loyalty over time. 

Consumers who remain invested in your brand value the experience your brand offers, and their emotions for the brand will remain steadfast. Basic human emotions can convert customers into brand advocates. Learn how emotional branding can be used in your branding strategy, and for more help, start a conversation with us at  Hello@Quello.com.