You know, too many of us hide our emotions. Frankly, we hide from them. Even when we’re alone.
When I was growing up, I heard this a lot: “Quit wearing your emotions on your sleeve.” First of all, what does that really even mean? It doesn’t make sense. And secondly, why is it bad to emote?
Emotions are what make us human. They’re what make us feel the world around us. And they’re what help us connect with one another. If you’re sad, I can see it, and I can empathize. If you’re happy, I can feel it, and happiness washes over me, too.
It’s good to emote. Emotions are great. So why would we ever try to hide them?
Study after study show that emotions play a huge role in the products and brands we select—even for big ticket items, even for items that we purchase for our businesses. Yes, there will be logical reasons, but those are mainly supportive. But even if they are the main reasons, they are supported by an emotional tie to the brand or product we end up choosing.
We don’t turn off our humanity when we get to work.
When it comes to branding (no matter what the product or service), if we ignore the emotional side of the argument and rely strictly on reason, the competitor that hits the emotional chord is going to beat us almost every time.
This idea might make some business-to-business marketers feel kind of emotional right now. And it should. There should be a little fear, a little anxiety, but also a little glimmer of hope. Because every brand, every product, has an interesting story. If you disagree, you better look harder, because if you’re bored by your brand, your customers are going to be bored by it (because you’ll be wearing your emotions on your sleeve). Share your passion.
Passion. Oh yea. That’s an emotion, too.
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Love it! It’s so true that we are not robots, we are living, breathing, feeling beings who are so much better when we connect emotionally to each other and the world around us. Bravo!
The last time I made a purchase based off emotional advertising was either when I stopped by Taco Bell for the ‘$5 box that rocks’ or that little Indonesian child I purchased last week after watching one of those celebrity endorsements. Damn commercials get me every time.
Oh, and then there was the three-legged mutt I saved thanks to Sarah McLachlan…Looks like I’m a little more impressionable than I thought.
I hope one day I’m such a good marketer that I can make people cry over tacos and buy puppies.