Emotions in marketing: the key to inspiring customers

‘Will you marry me? It’s a girl. You have cancer. We’ve lost him. You got the job. We’ve lost. He’s not guilty.’

Did those words catch your attention?

We believe they did. They are emotionally charged words that touch something deep within us and resonate within us long after we have heard them. Digital marketing is a sandbox of creativity in which brands that are penetrating and effective achieve exactly that. An emotional connection with the user, because of which the user, in the end, also becomes your customer.

Table of contents:

The power of words in digital marketing

Words can be spoken, written, or kept to ourselves in our thoughts. Let’s look at the power they have, especially those charged with emotion, in digital marketing.

The human being is the only creature that communicates through words and, although they are part of our everyday lives, we often forget what kind of power they have. Every word we say, whether in our thoughts or out loud, has its own energy. We can send these ‘vibrations’ over a distance or keep them to ourselves. Words are, in a way, magical, since on their journey they turn into energy and in this way leave a certain impact on the person we are talking to.

Does the brand inspire, share its story, message, beliefs, values, the way it CHANGES the world, or are we just sales?

What is more, in digital marketing it is true that marketing campaigns that address emotions are even three times more successful than campaigns that don’t. A user’s purchase, then, doesn’t happen so much because of rational factors (such as price, product specifications, sales), but because the ad or the text touches or addresses something on the user’s emotional level.

Emotional connection with a brand

Sadness, love, loneliness, excitement, anger, distress, rage, all of these are experiences shared by every one of us. Everything we do in life, we actually do because of these inner happenings. Either so that we can express them, escape from them, or be able to truly feel them at all.

When we, as a brand, build an online presence, it is key that we make use of this and work strategically. There is no point in creating content (ads, PR articles, email posts, and integrated campaigns) if it doesn’t catch attention. How do we do this so that we address the user, while at the same time also sharing the brand’s story?

We have to understand the brand’s ‘why’. Ask ourselves why the brand exists, what its values are, and what it brings into this world.

Addressing the right users

When we communicate just the right content in a way that truly addresses our users, they will respond. We don’t, however, want to address everyone, only those who believe what our brand believes.

Because these users will become loyal users.

They will feel like part of the company.

They will share the brand’s content.

They will keep coming back.

And they will become ambassadors of the company.

Example 1: With its campaigns, Nike does an excellent job of addressing users’ emotions. The ad catches attention with the shape of lungs and the use of running shoes, while at the same time clearly directing us to think about a healthy lifestyle. It addresses our needs and desires for well-being, movement, and health, which is exactly what the Nike brand clearly stands for.

Example 2: In 2014, Dove launched the ‘Real Curves’ campaign, sharing diverse body shapes and addressing the issue of idealising the perfect female body through advertising. With this, it spoke to everyone who is dealing with their own struggles around self-image and won their goodwill.

Example 3: The inspiring ‘Dream Crazier’ campaign by the Nike brand from 2019 inspired users and touched on people’s burning desires to achieve the impossible, just like the athletes featured in this campaign (among them Serena Williams, gymnast Simone Biles, and fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad).

Example 4: The Social Swipe is a campaign by the Misereor brand which, with the help of interactivity and the use of emotions, encourages users to donate. When the user swipes a credit card across the screen, an illustrated piece of bread is cut off in front of them, which can then be afforded by a family in Peru. The effect is clear.

Brands have to communicate content consistently and systematically, and content marketing is exceptionally important in this.

The common thread of a company’s presentation

Words can have a dramatic effect on our knowledge, on our interaction with people, and on the decisions we make. Words affect us, inspire us. They can touch us like a physical touch. They can make us happy or sad, and just as easily bring us to tears. Words can touch the soul.

Words can change our relationships, our behaviour, and our entire system of beliefs.

For a brand to achieve such a drastic effect on people, it has to adapt the way it presents itself. What it says about itself outwardly, what it communicates. This determines how people will experience it. Does it inspire, share its story, message, beliefs, values, the way it CHANGES the world, or are we just sales?

Content marketing is exceptionally important here. How can a company achieve the results mentioned? Here are four steps:

• define the ‘why’, or the main philosophy of the company
• define the company’s vision, mission, and slogan
• create a marketing strategy
• share emotionally charged content across various digital channels

The role of integrated marketing

Integrated marketing plays a key role in this.

It isn’t enough that you only post on social media. As a brand, you practically ‘don’t exist’ today if you aren’t present everywhere. We’re talking about integrated marketing, that is, marketing activities or digital marketing in the following areas:

• website optimisation
• online advertising
• social media management
• email marketing
• content marketing and strategy
• design and print
• photo and video
• website development
• landing page development

What ‘holds it all together’ are the marketing campaigns. As well as the invisible pinch of magic dust we addressed in this article. And it is felt very much when a brand communicates with the world. These are emotions.

Digital marketing, where do we start?

Of course, the way a brand communicates and the way digital marketing is carried out, which we addressed in this article, is demanding. It calls for a strong foundation and multi-layered, consistent operation and execution of activities.

We are happy to help you with this. If you need digital marketing services, get in touch with us. We are the Pakt marketing agency, and we step in to help you with all of the activities mentioned. We specialise in integrated marketing and we understand what it takes to achieve results in the long run. We are here for you at every step of the cooperation. We are a team that, above all, values the human approach and works in an integrated way.

Read also

• How to create content that inspires?
• Content marketing: 10 pillars
• How much humour can you bring into your stories?