Emotions: Good for the Brand?

For marketers, the struggle to achieve advertising effectiveness continues to chart new courses. Which approach is more effective, one that stresses logic or status? How should the message be presented to the consumer? And in what context? While these questions are difficult to answer, even more frustrating is that no answer can satisfy those questions and be applicable to every marketer. Instead, those questions can be answered in millions of different ways and could be considered valid in many different contexts.

However, a new study conducted by the Nielsen Company provides marketers with a new weapon in the battle for brand recognition and market share; one that may show marketers when their advertisements will be the most effective. This study, which took place over a nine-month period and which studied the habits of more than 100,000 consumers, 200 consumer brands, and 50 television programs, examined how program enjoyment influenced brand recognition.

The study discovered that emotionally engaging programs yield a higher brand return. So what is an emotionally engaging program? According to the study, an emotionally engaging program is one that elicits some type of connection between the consumer and what they are watching on screen. This can come in the form of cerebral stimulation or it can draw an emotional link to accomplish "overall product enjoyment."



"When you link your advertising with a program that resonates with consumers, viewers will remember your ads," said Kathy Mancini, editor of Nielsen Consumer Insight. "There are so many choices out there, with people passing by commercials, that if the spot keeps a viewer interested, that's huge for advertisers right then and there."

So how significant of an impact do these emotional programs have? When a product was featured in a highly enjoyable program, brand recognition increased by 29%, commercial spots which aired during such programs raised awareness by 21%, and awareness rose by 5% when marketers employed a combination of the two.

Consumers' feelings toward a brand also were found to be influenced by the emotional enjoyment of the program. Positive feelings toward the brand increased 85% for products featured during an emotionally engaging television show, 75% for commercials, and 68% for a mix of both.

The most impressive results, and possibly of the most interest to marketers, dealt directly with how such programs affected consumers' level of interest in purchasing those products after watching these emotionally engaging programs. The survey found that product placements during such shows increased purchase interest by an astonishing 145%, 120% for commercials, and 97% for a combination of product placements and commercials.

Interestingly, the study found that the show's genre also impacted the response the consumer had toward the brand. To illustrate, "Placements during lifestyle programs, for instance, typically got a boost in recognition of 59% when the program was highly enjoyable, whereas the corresponding boost was only 21% when the program was a reality show."

ow should marketers incorporate these lessons when approaching consumers? The answer is simple. Every marketer must recognize that consumers' purchasing decisions are directly impacted by their emotional states, and that in order to successfully motivate them to purchase your product, you must first connect with them on an emotional level. As the survey concluded, "…advertisers would be well-served to understand their consumers' viewing habits, their preferences, and their level of emotional connection with the programs they're watching."