The Business of Emotion
“Feel good Make you feel good I'm looking for emotion So I know just what to show you I can see you See your answers This business of emotion Yeah I know just what to show you, baby”
- Big Data "The Business of Emotion"
If you haven't checked out the song, please do. It's amazing. Big Data plays on the fact that while social media and digital marketing can be intrusive and a violation of the privacy of civilians, it is extremely effective.
In this article, I want to examine why emotion should be at the forefront of everything you create for your business or brand, especially its supporting content. People buy things based on their fears and desires. We think logically in all sorts of decisions in our lives but how many times do we act logically? In short, there's actually quite a large amount of us who like to think we make our decisions based on logic. However, we are emotional beings and even our biggest decisions like who we marry, where we go to school, what we do for a living, and especially big financial decisions are based on how we feel about those things.
When promoting your product, brand, or business, no matter what it does for people it should focus on the emotional state of the customer after that service is completed. Let's say you are a hairstylist. Your potential customers definitely want to see the amazing results you gave your previous clients. But they really want to see how other people feel after they've gone to you. Did they gain more confidence at work? Did they pick up more dates? Do they just feel happier? What do they say about you and how your brand has changed their lives? These are the things that really matter. A great commercial that really drives emotion home is the following Duracell spot.
Man...when his hearing is clearer for the first time in the doctor's office and he looks over at his wife...cue the tears. This is excellent execution of providing a clear benefit for the use of the product AND how it changes someone's life after using it.
And emotion doesn't always have to be sad or heartfelt or nostalgic. The emotion behind a commercial can be humorous or courageous. Emotion, whether happy, sincere, or anything in between, is how we connect with others. It's why you remember certain things in your childhood while forgetting most of everything else. It's why you remember that product or that commercial during the super bowl that year. It's how you connect with your audience. Be real. Be authentic. Be emotionally conscious. It's important and it shouldn't be taken lightly.