Emotional Marketing
I had an interesting conversation a few days ago with one of my marketing friends. The departure point for the conversation was this Dow Chemical TV commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsCG26886w8 One of the interesting things about this commercial to me is how it attempts (and largely succeeds in my opinion) to overcome the huge public relations negatives associated with being a chemical company. Can anyone forget the horrendous tragedy in Bhopal, India in 1984 that resulted from a chemical leak at a Union Carbide Plant?
If you strip away the imagery and poetic language from the commercial, you can find a straightforward message: we, the Dow Chemical Company, care about people. Now, if you're a regular reader of my blogs, you know that I believe in marketing that tells the truth. If the underlying message is true, that Dow Chemical truly does care for people, then this is a very powerful and effective commercial. The commercial addresses, in a gentle, even subtle way, the public's mistrust of them.
Here's another one we talked about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKL254Y_jtc This commercial uses a clever device to deliver their message - they take a negative (dirty, gritty Detroit) and turn it into a positive. I think the line "we're nobody's Emerald City" is genius. The subtext is that it takes tough, no-nonsense people and a tough town to build good cars. Let some other city (some not-serious city, they suggest) go grow flowers. Detroit will handle the stuff that takes muscles and a jutting jaw.
So what is the lesson for us who can't spend millions to make a slick TV ad or hire Eminem as a spokesperson? Well, there are two obvious lessons. First, be honest with yourself about how the public perceives your business and make sure you address that perception. Second, don't be afraid to claim the hard truths about who you are and what you do.
But the best lesson is the less obvious one. Both commercials communicate an emotion. They do not communicate information. In fact, they barely mention the companies' names or any specifics about their products. They make a powerful, emotional appeal, and then they step back and let the public absorb that emotion. You too, whether in video, print or on the internet, need to understand the power of emotion in your marketing. Providing good information is important. Appealing to clients on an emotional level is success..
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