How to Promote Your Brand – Logic or Emotion?

logic or emotion in brand videos

So you want a video to promote your brand?  Cool!  Logic would tell you to highlight the technical details and how well the brand works, but that may not be the best option.

Let’s look at an example.

It’s Friday night.  You walk into a party and everyone is sitting around, looking bored.  As you crack open an ice cold Bud Light the party erupts.  Your buddies throw you high fives as the hottest ladies give you “the eyes.” The stereo blasts your favorite jam and you’re the life of the party.

We see this scenario in advertising all the time, and even though we know it’s a load of (insert appropriate expletive), you still buy the Bud Light.  Heck, you’re up for anything, right?

The company isn’t literally trying to say that if you crack open a Bud Light, you’ll be the life of the party.  I’m pretty sure even a 12 year old could figure that one out.  What they are doing is creating a feeling of positivity around their product.

You may not realize it, but after seeing this message over and over in various forms, you’re going to feel good about buying Bud Light.  And THAT, is the power of emotion.

Let’s take a look at your brand video.  Certain technical elements should be highlighted, but in a more general fashion.  What you’re looking to do is connect with consumers on an emotional level.  You have the power to build positive feelings in audiences with a creative video.  Those positive feelings then lead to an emotional attachment to your product or brand.

It’s all about feelings.  Humans feel like they know brands in the same way they know other people.  If they like your brand, they will continue to use it even if more logical brands are available, the same way you might drive a few hours to visit your best friend instead of staying home and hanging out with your less exciting neighbor.

So what kind of emotions should you target in your videos?  That’s a good question, and there really isn’t one specific answer.  You may choose to target one or more based on the type of appeal you’re looking for.  Take a look at some of the more popular emotional appeals.

Happiness –  The most popular emotional appeal, simply because its pursuit is the rationale of every decision you make.  “Will this make me happy?”  It’s the American dream.  Your video could be funny, generating joy through laughter, or it could reflect the dreams of your audience, reflecting what would make them most happy and how your brand could bring them to that state of being.

Sadness – As the exact opposite of our most popular emotional appeal, one might think you should never make a sad video.  Not True.  There are many reasons a sad video can be just as effective as a happy one, the biggest reason: empathy.  If your brand or product touches on a sad or sensitive topic, viewers are drawn to you through their own personal experiences and feelings on that topic.  This empathy often makes us more generous and trusting, attachment to your brand will grow, just in a different way.

Fear/Surprise – In a similar way to Sadness, Fear and Surprise can be effective in stimulating greater brand attachment.   “A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research demonstrated that consumers who experienced fear while watching a film felt a greater affiliation with a present brand than those who watched films evoking other emotions, like happiness, sadness or excitement (Seiter, 2014).”  People cope with their fears by turning towards the familiar, either close friends or, in our purposes, a comforting brand; like my snuggie… and a pint of Ben and Jerry’s.

Anger/Disgust – While many attribute anger to other emotions like aggression, it also creates an interesting form of online stubbornness.  When exposed to negative comments on a particular stance, viewers are more likely to sink in and, sometimes irrationally, defend their original viewpoint. Harnessing this emotion within a video can be tricky, but, with the right script and target audience, the ability to increase brand allegiance is highly likely.

Guilt – Consumers can be easily persuaded by feelings of guilt.  This emotion is perfect for Non-profits.  You might often hear phrases like, “Don’t let them suffer anymore, for only (Insert small contribution here) a day, you could save a life.”

Pride – Many consumers want to feel cool, they want to be trend-setters.  Taking a keeping up with the Joneses mentality when developing a video is never a bad thing when it comes to brand promotion.  Look at Gatorade and their “Be like Mike” campaign.  According to them, if you drink Gatorade, you can play ball just like Michael Jordan.  So consider targeting pride in your next video, all the cool kids are doing it.

These are simply a few of the many emotions one could target in their promotional video or advertisement.  To decide on the best option to meet your branding goals, consult a professional copywriter and producer.  They’ll design a solid concept and execute it with the professionalism you’re looking for.  May I suggest contacting us?

Scroll to Top