If your business hasn’t tapped into Emotional Branding, where have you been?
The transition from hard selling to emotional branding has been a cornerstone of the advertising industry for decades. Brands have recognized that connecting with consumers on an emotional level is not just effective but essential for long-term success. Emotional branding strategies go beyond product features; it’s about crafting narratives that resonate with people’s deepest desires, fears, and aspirations.
Successful brands have tapped into emotional branding filled with creative content that appeals to a person’s ego, aspirations, needs, lifestyle and emotional state. Through compelling storytelling and evocative imagery, brands like Nike, Dove, and Airbnb have built communities of passionate advocates who not only buy their products but also identify with the brand’s values and vision.
So.. Why do brands incorporate emotions into their branding strategies?
✅ Emotion BUILDS Loyalty
✅ Emotion DRIVES Decision
✅ Emotion POWERS a relationship
✅ Emotion PROPELS growth
Emotional branding fosters a profound connection with the brand, encouraging consumers to develop a sense of loyalty and affinity towards it. This connection goes beyond mere transactions, leading to active engagement and advocacy among consumers.
Brands that evoke strong emotions are more memorable and recognizable to consumers. When emotions are intertwined with a brand’s messaging, consumers recall not only the product but also the feelings associated with it. When consumers see themselves reflected in the brand’s identity, they are more inclined to remain loyal patrons. This emotional bond fosters a lasting relationship that transcends product features.
Infusing emotions into branding efforts imbues the brand with personality and character. This allows consumers to form a perception of the brand that goes beyond its products or services.
But.. What’s Emotive Branding?
Emotive branding is using emotions to engage the audience, but brands would tie those emotions back to their brand’s core functions. This approach not only grabs attention and raises awareness for your brand but also makes it more relevant to your audience and your business. While many brands use emotions in their marketing, the challenge lies in making those emotions relevant to your specific business which will enhance your branding strategies.
So how do we differentiate Emotional vs Emotive branding?
Let’s zoom in to some Raya advertisements (2024)!
Emotional Branding: Salam Dari Hati – Petronas
Petronas stays on brand for their 2024 Raya ad with another emotional and heart tugging piece that speaks about the tradition of ‘Salam Raya’, commonly carried out first thing in the morning of Raya. But this advertisement unfolds the emotional sentiments and how it’s not just about admitting fault or receiving money, but rather an act of the purest and sincerest apology rooted deep in the heart. Hence, ‘Salam Dari Hati’.
Emotive Branding: Minyak Maaf – Saji
Saji on the other hand creatively crafted their advertisement as “Minyak Maaf” that derives from their core business. They have been in the culinary industry for a long time, producing kitchen ingredients and one of them being cooking oil. In this case, they used their product ‘minyak’ (which means oil) as a pun within their Raya advertisement, “Minyak Maaf”. And now, whenever you think “minyak” while buying groceries, you would most likely think of Saji.
Emotional Branding: Lembaran Baharu – RHB
RHB’s short film spoke about justice, forgiving, and being human. They reenacted a real life incident of a mother working a lower wage job who ended up stealing a pencil box from her workplace because she promised her son a gift for getting first place in his academics at school. The son turned out to be a lawyer and never forgot the kind gesture of the lawyer that represented his mother in court.
Emotive Branding: Siapa Betul – L’Occitane
On the other hand, L’Occitane’s advertisement portrayed a storyline that many of their target audience could relate to – arguing about who’s right. The theme of this campaign is ‘Kita Reset’ which promotes their Reset Serum. Aside from the emotional roller coaster of the short film, it also highlighted the word ‘Reset’ to relate it back to the product. Practising forgiveness and starting again is what Raya really is about and L’Occitane took this opportunity to link their product to ‘Reset’ for Raya – reset relationships!
Emotional Branding: Potret – Adabi
Adabi’s ad touched on something not commonly spoken about, especially in a Raya advertisement. Raya ads usually speak of unity, family, and togetherness – but Adabi chose otherwise. In fact, divorce is a taboo in the Malay community but has been increasing over the years. It gave an emotional sentiment by sharing the process of divorce, what goes on behind closed doors, and the struggles that came with it.
Emotive Branding: Beg ni kena buang ke? – Grab Malaysia
Who knew a story about delivery bags could get the audience to tear up? According to GrabAds, 70% of respondents prefer to shop online and in stores during festive season with an additional 62% that planned to rely heavily on Grab services such as food deliveries and payments. Grab decided to spin the story around creatively and put the spotlight on the delivery bags instead, and highlight how important the delivery bags are to their core business. Grab has definitely took a great advantage that many other businesses couldn’t and applied this effective emotive branding as one part of their many branding strategies.
Emotional Branding: Niat – Etiqa
Etiqa’s advertisement also took a different approach to Raya ads and highlighted on Autism – which is rarely spoken about in general. It added an emotional touch to it because it spoke about ‘Niat’ which translates to ‘intentions’, and how pure one’s intentions can be. The young boy worked so hard not only for himself, but his true ‘niat’ is that he wants his cousin to enjoy Raya with everyone else.
Emotive Branding: BerZUSah-ZUSah Dahulu, Beraya-Raya Kemudian
Zus decided to take a spin on their name and link it to a well known Malay proverb, “Bersusah susah dahulu, Bersenang senang kemudian” which means “face hardship first so you could be at ease later”. This video serves to remind others how there are still people who work during Raya holidays, especially in the service industry. Aside from the fun twist on their name, Zus also highlighted the usage of the PLUS Miles app for Zus purchases.
Which Raya ad in 2024 is your favourite?
It’s interesting to see brands take advantage of their business’ core and spin it into an emotional marketing strategy or advertisement that their consumers are able to relate to and engage with. Emotional branding isn’t just a trend—it’s the heartbeat of modern marketing and all the more reason you need it in one of your branding strategies.
By weaving emotion into the fabric of their brand narratives, companies don’t just sell products; they forge lasting connections, build vibrant communities, and leave indelible marks on the hearts of consumers. As a marketing agency in Malaysia, we always emphasise to our clients the importance of fusing emotions into the branding strategy, and we practise that in all of our work as well!
So, do you prefer emotional advertisements or emotive? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section!
