66 Statistics That Prove Emotional Marketing Works

Facts alone rarely make a lasting impression on your audience. Sometimes, you need to tap into core human emotions—whether it’s happiness, sadness, anger, or hope—to inspire people to act. That’s why more and more brands are weaving emotional marketing into their strategies.

Take Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches campaign, for example. It struck a chord with millions by showcasing how women often underestimate their own beauty. The campaign was shared widely and remains one of the most impactful emotional marketing efforts to date.

Another powerful example is Barbie’s Give Limitless Possibilities, which empowers young girls and celebrates their potential by centering around the desire of parents, grandparents, and loved ones to gift children the belief in their limitless potential. The emotional storytelling highlights how doll play fosters creativity builds self-esteem, and nurtures empathy that can inspire an entire generation.

Emotional marketing doesn’t just sell—it builds trust, loyalty, and lasting connections. They reach the core of what makes a customer journey and customer relationship successful: human emotion. 

Still not sold on the power of emotional marketing? Keep reading to dive into the latest emotional marketing statistics that prove how emotions can make or break your marketing efforts in 2025.

66 Emotional Marketing Statistics

Emotional Marketing in General

Emotional marketing connects with consumers on a deeper, emotional level instead of focusing only on logic. Since emotions often drive consumer behavior more than rational thoughts, brands using this approach tend to build stronger, longer-lasting customer relationships.

1. The emotional marketing services market is projected to reach approximately $12.1 billion by 2030 (Source)
2. Emotional marketing campaigns achieve a success rate of 31%. (Source)
3. Anger-inducing content has nearly a 38% likelihood of going viral. (Source)
4. Consumers are two times more likely to share strong emotional videos than weak ones. (Source)
5. Headlines featuring negative superlatives outperform those without by 30%. (Source)Source: CXL
6. Campaigns using rational content alone achieved a 16% profitability increase. (Source)
7. The United States’ status as the #1 country for consumer brands is closely tied to its mastery of emotional marketing. (Source)
8. In 2023, Apple ranked first in brand loyalty, maintaining the top spot it claimed in 2022 after surpassing Amazon. (Source)
9. 51% of financial services customers are more emotionally engaged than those in other sectors. (Source)
10. The emotional part of the brain processes sensory information 20% faster than the cognitive part. (Source)
11. Countries like Paraguay and Panama top the Positive Experience Index with scores of 86, followed by Guatemala with 85, Mexico with 84, and the Philippines with 82. (Source)
12. Guinea (53) and Chad (51) lead the Negative Experience Index, showing areas where feelings of stress and unhappiness are most common. (Source)
13. Emotional ads can increase brand pricing power by 40%. (Source)
14. Emotional ads are 27% more likely to go viral and be shared. (Source)
15. Emotional campaigns generate nearly 3 times more organic impressions than rational ads. (Source)
16. Millennials (76%) and Gen Zers (75%) are the most likely to spend emotionally. (Source)
17. FOMO is a major driver of impulse buying, contributing to 20% of purchases. (Source)
18. 69% of Americans admit that emotions have influenced their spending. (Source)
19. Dining out is the top cause of impulse spending for 55% of Americans. (Source)
20. 62% of respondents engage with humorous, fearful, or emotional ads on social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), while 33% do so through electronic media like TV and radio. (Source)
21. 71% of emotional spenders feel guilty or regretful after emotional purchases. (Source)
22. Humor is widely used, with 24.4% of TV ads in the U.S. incorporating it. (Source)
23. Females tend to remember the brands better at 46.3% than males at 37.3% after watching an emotional TV ad (Source)
24. 7 in 10 consumers anticipate brands will likely use AI for communications five years from now, but 80% still believe that a human rep in person provides the highest EQ (Source)
25. Sales reps who are aware of buyer situations and empathize with them can increase buyer decision-making quality by 11%. (Source)
26. Emotional factors drive 56% of B2B purchasing decisions. (Source)

Emotional Marketing for the Customers

When done right, emotional marketing boosts loyalty, brand recall, and customer satisfaction, fostering long-term success. This section lists the emotional marketing stats that shape customer behavior and why it’s crucial for businesses looking to connect beyond transactions.

27. 59% of consumers love Christmas ads, up from 51% in 2023. (Source)
28. 70% of decisions are based on emotional factors, while only 30% are driven by rational thinking. (Source)
29. Roughly 15% of customers say that brands understand how to form an emotional connection. (Source)
30. 64% of consumers expect brands to engage with them directly. (Source)
31. 72% of consumers believe social media can unite people from different backgrounds and beliefs. (Source)
32. 82% of consumers are loyal to their favorite brands when considering their purchase decisions. (Source)
33. 86% of emotionally engaged consumers expect brands to reciprocate their loyalty beyond loyalty programs. (Source)Photo by Berkeley Communications on Unsplash
34. Customers with an emotional connection to a brand are twice as likely to spend more on their favorite brands. (Source)
35. 57% of consumers will increase their spending with brands they feel connected to. (Source)
36. Emotionally triggering ads can persuade 70% of viewers to buy a product. (Source)
37. Generation Z (ages 12–27) is the most engaged group with brands on social media, having grown up in the digital age. (Source)
38. On average, 86% of consumers’ purchasing decisions are influenced by 10 emotional factors. (Source)
39. 57% of women engage in retail therapy to improve their mood, compared to 40% of men. (Source)
40. 56% of individuals feel disconnected from a brand unless they make them smile or laugh.(Source)
41. 96% of EMEA YouTube consumers say high-quality video content must include emotive aspects. (Source)
42. 52% of consumers are likely to purchase when feeling nostalgic. (Source)
43. Nearly 59% of consumers now say they “love” Christmas ads, showing an increase from 51% in 2023. (Source)
44. Emotional ads have a higher brand recall, with 81% of participants remembering the brand, compared to 69% for rational ads. (Source)
45. 41% of consumers associate brand loyalty with a strong emotional bond to a brand. (Source)

Emotional Marketing for the Brands

Emotional marketing helps brands create strong connections, drive engagement, and build loyalty. By tapping into the right emotional triggers, brands can move beyond transactions and foster lasting relationships. This section focuses on how brands can successfully implement emotional marketing strategies to maximize impact.

46. Ads that evoke stronger emotional responses lead to a 23% increase in sales. (Source)Source: Drip
47. Fully emotionally connected customers are 52% more valuable than highly satisfied customers. (Source) 
48. Using humor in ads can lead to stronger customer loyalty, with 82% of people more likely to buy again, 81% recommending the brand, 76% choosing it over competitors, and 67% spending more. (Source)
49. Four out of five (80%) executives believe their brand understands consumers’ emotional needs. (Source)
50. 71% of digital marketing professionals in the United States said they used emotional marketing to build brand recognition. (Source)Source: IPA
51. Effective use of technology helps create exceptional customer experiences, with 82% of top companies focusing on the human aspect. (Source)
52. Only 17% of Japan-Asia Pacific brands incorporate humor in offline ads, and just 12% use humor on social channels. (Source)
53. 76% of business leaders in the Japan-Asia Pacific area fear using humor in customer interactions. (Source)
54. 87% of business leaders feel they lack the data and tools to use humor in customer engagement effectively. They would feel more confident using humor if they had better customer insights (54%) and access to technologies like AI (37%). (Source)
55. 90% of consumers are more likely to recall ads that use humor. (Source)
56. 74% of people would follow a brand for its humor on social media, but only 12% of brands use humor. (Source)
57. 68% of people would open a brand’s email if the subject line were funny, but only 21% of JAPAC business leaders use humor in their email campaigns. (Source)
58. A top home improvement retailer saw a 7% increase in engagement with emotionally aligned ads, with 64% of viewers watching the ad in full (Source)
59. Among impulsive spenders, 53% say emotional satisfaction is the main reason behind their spontaneous shopping. (Source)
60. Nearly half (46.8%) of over 1,200 respondents in Marketing Week’s 2024 survey, backed by Kantar, feel that digital ads have more emotional impact than those in other channels. (Source)
61. Emotional campaigns become more effective over time, starting with a 1.3 impact in the first year, growing to 1.8 in the second year, and reaching 2.1 by the third year. (Source)
62. Emotional campaigns steadily increase profits over time, growing from 13% in the first year to 30% in the second and 43% in the third year. (Source)
63. 77% of consumers want empathy when they interact with brands (Source)
64. During complicated purchase decisions, 25% of consumers value brands that can respond to their emotions at the right time. (Source)
65. 81% of marketers intend to boost their investment in human-focused strategies next year. (Source)
66. 69% of B2B marketers consider brand building and human-centric marketing a competitive advantage over immediate results. (Source)

Seal the Deal with Emotional Appeal

These emotional marketing statistics highlight a vital truth that is behind every click and conversion of a human being resonating with your brand’s message. As you craft your next marketing strategy, remember to keep your brand authentic and relatable to gain more patrons and, eventually, more profit.

Capture your audience’s attention with emotional headlines, empathize with your audience’s challenges, and inspire them with content that reflects their aspirations. Take your emotional marketing strategy to the next level with Spiralytics. Contact us today to create campaigns that connect, engage, and grow your business online.