Emotional marketing: what it is and why it is essential

According to Bernd H. Schmitt, emotional marketing consists of a combination of actions which enable a business to give its clients an incredible experience, surpassing their expectations and anticipating their requests; the primary objective is to provide the consumer with the maximum possible level of satisfaction.

Of course, emotional marketing abounds due to the huge number of multimedia devices in circulation, but in order for it to be successful, it must be authentic and honest. Furthermore, to reach this objective, marketing staff must have a thorough understanding of both the public and their brand identity, to enable them to adopt the right approach.

Considering that nowadays, most people already have everything they need, if sales staff want to encourage them to make a purchase they must stimulate their desire to possess. As most manufacturers tend to offer similar products, the only way to sell them is to tempt the consumers by focusing on the emotional aspect.

Schmitt also maintains that the irrational purchasing levers may be controlled by offering those who make a purchase one of the five experiences listed below:

• Sensorial experiences (the aim is to stimulate sight, hearing, taste and touch);
• Emotional experiences (involving feelings and encouraging a sense of pride in what they have purchased);
• Creative/cognitive experiences (they encourage the client to interact with the items purchased);
• Experiences relating to actions (they involve a physical element and focus on influencing the consumer’s lifestyle);
• Rational experiences (encouraging interaction between individuals, making them feel part of a group).

In order to understand how to make use of emotional marketing, let us consider the example of Nike, which illustrates five important lessons. The first regards the ability to present a product within a narrative context. The second is the choice of popular celebrities who are focused on success, to endorse the product.

The third involves the willingness to give the brand a secondary role compared to that of the athlete and the sport in question (in fact their logo often appears only at the end of commercials).  The fourth regards the choice of the right colours for the sport involved. The fifth relates to the emotions transmitted to a closely involved public.

Following this brief introduction, we will move on to a description of some approaches used in emotional marketing, which can transform occasional consumers into loyal fans of a certain brand: effective strategies to put into place to obtain impressive results in a short time.

• Inspiration

Being able to inspire your clientele, by associating your brand with the kind of behaviour people believe in, leads those people to trust in the product you are offering.

• Aspirations

By associating a company with the public’s aspirations, customers are attracted to that firm and show greater appreciation for its products.

• The expression of love and humanitarianism

Becoming a brand which aims to lend support, improve something or defend someone, considerably increases consumers’ appreciation of a less well-known company.

• Important stages

Important anniversaries which mark significant stages of a company’s history can turn out to be fundamental in attracting or welcoming back customers to that company.

• Geographical factor

Associating a company with one’s own place of origin or residence stimulates the people of that area to be more open towards it.

So that concludes our brief presentation of emotional marketing:  a series of strategies to put into practice to guarantee the consumer a memorable experience.

Translated by Joanne Beckwith