If first impressions form in less than a second, you need to create some sort of emotional connection between your company and your audience quickly, that separates you from the rest, and eventually earns you brand loyalty.
So how do you create this connection? Well, an emotional response to an ad will influence someone’s intention to buy a product, more than the actual ad itself. So, a brand with a story taps into people’s desires, or view of themselves, and creates an emotional bond. Think of any advert that tugs at your heart strings – you connected emotionally with the subject. Think about how you imagine you’d feel if you actually owned the car/house/bespoke suit that you aspire to. Think about how a genuine positive review affects your trust in a product – we are all more likely to trust an independent review than the company’s own description.
Likewise, don’t underestimate the effect of colour as different colours can cause a different response: red is seen as stimulating, blue as comfortable while black and purple are seen as powerful and strong. Worth considering when you know your target audience, you want to invoke a particular response, and you are considering your brand identity.
The more emotional intelligence your brand has, the more you will convert, and you’ll see a better return on investment – so it’s worth doing your research.