Cold, hard facts about your products won’t always persuade customers to buy them.
Sometimes its emotional value will.
Emotional marketing focuses on reaching basic human emotions such as anger and joy to get people to act, whether that’s sharing a video or buying a product. It’s a compelling force, which is why more brands have incorporated various emotional marketing tactics into their strategies.
One of the classic emotional marketing examples comes from Apple and its Think Different campaign. It isn’t to sell a specific product; it’s designed to empower Mac users to break the status quo. The campaign went on to win an Emmy Award for Best Commercial and has become one of the most famous ad campaigns created.
Another emotional marketing example comes from Uber. As issues of racism spread across the United States, the company created billboards establishing their support of the Black Lives Matter movement, encouraging those who tolerate racism to delete the app. These efforts built trust and strengthened the brand’s relationship with its customers.
These examples from well-renowned companies show that this type of marketing is a viable strategy for your brand. They reach the core of what makes a customer journey and customer relationship successful: human emotion.
If you aren’t convinced of the effectiveness of emotional marketing strategies, keep on reading to learn about some facts and figures that prove just how powerful they can be.
Emotional Marketing in General
1. Italians ranked highest (65%) in emotional engagement with brands (Capgemini)
Different cultures and regions respond differently to marketing messages, and it highlights the need to tailor your content to your targets.
According to Capgemini, Italians had the highest emotional engagement with a brand, with Brazil, the United States, and Spain trailing behind. This emotional marketing statistic underscores the need to speak to your audience at eye level, whether it be through relatable imagery or accurately translated copy.
2. The success rate of emotional marketing campaigns is 31% (Neurosciencemarketing)
Your product’s features are often not enough to convince consumers to break out their wallets for you. This emotional marketing statistic shows how much emotion plays a considerable role in a consumer’s buying decision and how it can actually make or break your campaign.
This isn’t to say highlighting features is futile. A study suggested that older audiences may be more susceptible to rational appeals in advertising. So, you’ll need to tailor your emotional marketing strategy to your target customer.
3. There is almost a two in five (38%) chance that anger-inducing content will go viral (Moz)
Psychologists have mentioned that anger can spread like a virus online; it’s more contagious than happiness and joy.
A possible reason for this emotional contagion is that it serves an evolutionary purpose. If a member of your tribe is threatened, you’ll likely feel empathy for them and come to their aid to help everyone feel safe.
Although going viral is an attractive outcome for many brands, it’s essential to understand how to do so responsibly, inducing anger for a greater cause, such as standing up for social issues, and not just for anger’s sake.
4. Consumers are two times more likely to share strong emotional videos than weak ones (Unruly)
This emotional marketing statistic suggests that if you want to increase your social media engagement and reach target metrics, you need to tap into your audience’s emotions. This doesn’t mean you should make them cry all the time, however. There are other ways to create strong emotional content, but they all require a deep understanding of your customers.
Emotional marketing examples could include content that makes your audience laugh, but that requires an acute understanding of their sense of humor. You could also publish inspiring posts, which entails knowing your customer’s problems.
5. Headlines with negative superlatives performed 30% better than those without (CXL)
Negative headlines—headlines that include words such as “worst” or “never”—have been found to be 30% more effective than other types of headlines. Such headlines are so popular that recent research shows news headlines are more negative now than they’ve ever been.
A 2021 study showed that negative headlines elicit an emotional response in the brain much faster than positive ones. So, consider using certain emotional trigger words to spark a feeling in your prospective readers when you’re writing headlines.
6. More than half (51%) of financial services customers are emotionally engaged, more than other sectors (Capgemini)
Studies have found that emotion is crucial in generating loyalty among banking customers. It’s easy to understand why more than half of financial service customers are emotionally engaged. Finances are often personal, and achieving financial freedom is a priority for most.
7. The emotional area of the brain can process sensory information 20% faster than the cognitive area (Joeri Van den Bergh and Mattias Behrer)
If it takes the cognitive area of your brain 60 seconds to process an ad, it takes your emotional area just 12 seconds. In the age where attention spans are shrinking more and more—the latest data showing it’s down to around eight seconds—marketers need to capture an audience fast. One way to grip customers in a brief period is to leverage emotion.
People respond to information emotionally faster than cognitively. You might have even felt this in your personal life when you get angry about something before realizing it wasn’t worth getting mad about in the first place.
Emotional Marketing for the Customers
1. 71% of customers recommend a brand based on their emotional connection to it (Motista)
Seven in ten customers are likely to recommend a product or service based on their emotional connection. Customers love it when they feel like the brand gets to know them and understands them in the process. This can be in the form of personalized marketing efforts or strategies that are tailored to them.
If you invest time and effort to improve your customer service, you can nurture your relationship with the customer, which usually delivers excellent returns.
2. Roughly 15% of customers say that brands understand how to form an emotional connection (Netimperative)
Emotional marketing isn’t easy, and only a handful of companies seem to be doing it right. A possible conclusion one can draw from this emotional marketing statistic is that the majority of brands still think of customers as simply that: customers.
But emotional marketing is about seeing customers as humans, breaking out of a functional and transactional relationship, and instead developing long-term trust, loyalty, and support with your audience.
3. 82% of consumers are loyal to their favorite brands when considering their purchase decisions (Capgemini)
Consumer loyalty is invaluable to businesses, making the lengthy process of developing a relationship through emotional marketing worth it.
According to this study, four out of five (82%) customers are likely to buy from their favorite brands. This is a significant number, especially given that only roughly two out of five (38%) will choose a brand with low emotional engagement.
This means that the right emotional marketing strategy can reward you with becoming the top-of-mind choice for your consumers.
4. 86% of emotionally engaged consumers expect brands to reciprocate their loyalty beyond loyalty programs (Frog)
Publishing an emotionally charged piece of content doesn’t mark the end of building your relationship with your customer; loyalty programs aren’t the only way to reward customers for buying from you.
Responding to their concerns promptly through an accessible customer service line is another way of showing how much you care about them.
5. Emotionally connected customers are more likely to spend double on their favorite brands (Motista)
When a customer is emotionally invested in your brand, they’re more likely to buy more from you, meaning your customer’s lifetime value has the chance to skyrocket with the right emotional marketing strategy.
This emotional marketing statistic offers a great argument for being highly detail-oriented when tailoring experiences to your customers.
You can find excellent examples of this phenomenon when studying how luxury brands typically market their products. They promise more than just a car or cologne; a study analyzed that brands position these as a gateway to freedom, prestige, and success through what they call “brand awe.”
6. Emotionally triggering ads can persuade 70% of viewers to buy a product (Unruly)
When crafting your ad, you must always consider what your target audience responds to the most. As one analytical study points out, certain frames and imagery can emotionally appeal to audiences, such as a home, to depict a sense of joy.
A possible question you can also consider while strategizing is, “Did your target audience have a connection to your content since their childhood?” Displaying childhood favorites is a common trait in nostalgia marketing, which focuses on bringing back positive emotions audiences have about the previous years with a product or service to increase sales.
7. 58% of consumers between 18 to 21 are emotionally engaged (Capgemini)
Although emotion is a universal human experience, not everyone will respond to your emotional marketing strategy similarly. A study highlighted how different demographics respond to the same advertisement differently. It’s better to tweak your copy and imagery to suit the intended audience for maximum effectiveness.
Emotional Marketing for the Brands
1. Ads with higher-than-average emotional responses generate 23% of sales spikes (Nielsen)
A common emotional marketing strategy brands use is to instill a sense of urgency among their customers.
In the emotional marketing example above, the brand uses emotionally triggering words such as “Stop!” and “now” to entice customers to remain on the site and complete their purchase. People fear missing out on great deals, which is why limited-time promos and discounts are so effective.
2. An emotional connection between a customer and the organization is 52% more valuable than a highly satisfied customer (HBR)
Business owners understand how costly it is to gather new customers instead of nurturing existing ones. Emotionally invested customers are likely to become brand advocates, and it’s why it’s so important to find ways to establish an emotional connection from the get-go.
3. Subconscious factors influence 95% of purchase decisions (Inc)
Although many believe they’re making rational decisions when buying certain items, they often act out of emotions they’re unaware of. People often underestimate how significant a role emotion plays in their lives.
Emotional marketing and successful branding entice people to choose one brand over another despite other businesses selling the same product.
4. Four out of five (80%) executives believe their brand understands consumers’ emotional needs and desires (Capgemini)
Emotionally connecting with your audience is a worthwhile investment. It’s why companies invest so much time in researching their market and A/B testing their collateral. A better understanding of your customers can often be the deciding factor in a highly competitive industry.
5. 7 in 10 digital marketing professionals (71%) focus on creating emotional connections with consumers to build brand recognition (Statista)
Your relationship with your customer is crucial to the success of your business.
Any business owner knows the struggle to develop brand recognition, but they also understand that it’s a worthwhile investment. According to the Institute of Practitioners of Advertising (IPA), emotional advertising is far more effective than rational advertising; their study found that 45% reported significant profit growth during a three-year emotional marketing campaign.
6. Four out of five (81%) emotionally connected consumers promote brands to their closest circle and spend more on the brand, too (Netimperative)
Word of mouth is a potent form of marketing and is often what many marketers hope to achieve with their brands. Your emotional impact on one consumer can ripple out and spread to others. It also touches on the importance of creating easily shareable content.
7. 82% of top-performing companies are paying closer attention to the human experience online (PWC)
While tech innovations can simplify processes for customers and companies, nothing beats a human touch. More brands recognize the need for customers to interact with live people, especially in the age of AI chatbots.
The study also highlights how important it is for brands to help customers feel welcome, with 42% of customers willing to pay more for friendlier service. Additionally, 65% of US customers agree that a satisfying experience with the brand is much more effective than great ads.
Build Your Customer Relationships with Emotional Marketing
These emotional marketing statistics are important to remember when conceptualizing your next marketing strategy. It’s easy to forget that behind every click and conversion is a human being drawn to your brand’s message.
Hence, among the most important lessons to remember from these emotional marketing statistics is to keep your brand human. Write emotionally-charged headlines. Show empathy for your customer’s problems and avoid talking down to them. Find ways to inspire them to become their best selves or create highly-relatable content.
If you want to launch a complete emotional marketing strategy for your brand, consider working with a digital marketing agency such as Spiralytics. Contact us to learn how we can help you reach your customers and grow your business online.
