Emotion-Evoking Advertising: How Apple May Have Set Off a Renewed Marketing Path
Emotion-evoking advertising used to be something you'd see considerably more of on TV before a new wave of Madison Avenue ad gurus took over. It's not that there hasn't been attempts at emotion in recent years, but we've gone through at least a decade of advertising that focuses more exclusively on satire or dark comedy. Some might even say a lot of advertising has turned downright cynical rather than playing to our emotions.
Apple recently proved any cynics wrong that emotion can still capture audiences. If you watched TV during the holidays, then you probably saw the Apple commercial that showed a family watching home videos of themselves and getting more than a little emotional. After the ad went viral online, it seemed to turn a new lightbulb on for those gurus at today's ad agencies. Could it be that we're now ready for more emotional advertising again after only occasional attempts in the last decade?
Studies are Proving the Power of Emotion in Advertising
A recent study seems to be backing emotional advertising up and how much people respond to it. At Warc.com, they reported a recent study that showed there was still a strong response to emotional advertising on TV, proving that TV is still a powerful medium. However, it also showed the emotion compounded when the TV ad was used in conjunction with Internet advertising.
While the above shows the blurred lines between TV and Internet, we may be ready for more emotional advertising because of today's world condition. With so much heartrending tragedy heard in the news on a regular basis and an emphasis on cherishing family values again, you can probably expect more emotional advertising to tap those areas.
There may also be emotional advertising in places we haven't seen it for a while. With the recent Derrick Coleman ad for Duracell, we see a return to emotional advertising with sports themes. This was something we saw considerably more of decades ago until themes turned more comedic.
Regardless, there's also one strong lesson to learn from the Derrick Coleman ad. And it's going to help determine whether emotional advertising can continue through the decade.
Being Genuine in Emotional Advertising
The reason the Coleman and Apple ads succeeded so well is because they conveyed genuine emotion. For the Coleman ad, it's even stronger because it's a real life scenario of a deaf football player becoming successful. Yet, Apple proved that even fiction can be genuine with actors who make the emotion look convincing.
You could call it a miracle that emotional advertising came roaring back due to the cynicism in today's culture on nearly everything. Public interest in it seems to tell us much about society's thinking and a possible shift in philosophy as times become tougher for many.
Perhaps your own business wants to get into emotional advertising to capture a new audience. We can help you find avenues toward that here at Crowd Siren. We're an online media, branding, and PR company that works with companies to get the word out about who they really are.
Contact us and we'll work with you to help shape emotion around your brand. If you have a real emotional story behind your business, we can help you convey that as a form of personalization in connecting with your prospective customers.
By: Alyssa Rao
